Scores To Settle
by DynastyZ
Summary: COMPLETE. Anakin, with the help of ObiWan and a female Jedi, battle the lure of the Dark Side. Palpatine will stop at nothing to make Anakin a Sith again. PostROTS.
1. Breakaway

DISCLAIMER: The following story contains characters that do not belong to me. LucasFilm owns all characters in the Star Wars Trilogy, as well as the characters in the game: Star Wars Revenge of the Sith.

Chapter One - Breakaway

Darth Vader strode towards the command center aboard the Death Star. Each step was heavy; even after two years, his robotic suit felt stiff and uncomfortable. He was pleased that his dark powers had grown, but was dismayed at his obviously regressed lightsaber combat skills. He could no longer jump and spin, but resorted to quick stabs and slashes that, when successful, were devastating nonetheless.

To his master's chagrin, however, Vader had stubbornly held on to his knowledge of the Light Side. Vader knew that there would be a time when he would have to make the most of his skills, every ounce of Force in his veins – or robotic circuits, for that matter – to destroy Emperor Palpatine. To destroy his master. To destroy the one who had promised him Padme's life, and failed to hold up that vow.

That time was now.

In the quietest voice the half-robot could muster, he growled "I hate him." Then he strode forward and the automatic doors opened for him.

"You called for me, my master," he said, hating his robotic voice after every syllable.

Emperor Palpatine turned. "Yes, Lord Vader, I did. I want to check on the progress of the TIE fighters."

Darth Vader was confused. "Why did you not simply call up the engineers? They know of the progress as much as I do."

The Emperor smiled, the smile that only the wizened Sith Lord could make. "Because," he began slowly, "if I were to call upon the engineers, I wouldn't have been able to do THIS!" With that, he raised his hands, and Force lightning began to pour out of them. Darth Vader, alarmed, reached for his lightsaber, but it was too late. The electric current tore through what was left of his body, and the fact that he had prosthetic arms and legs as well as the circuits on his chest did not help the matter.

Then Palpatine lowered his hands and the pain subsided. "Let that be a lesson to you, Lord Vader. Do not think about destroying me again."

Vader cursed silently at himself. He had not bothered to hide his emotions before stepping through the door. He had neglected his Jedi training. He would do better to meditate, he thought, when all this was over.

The half-human half-robot slowly pulled himself off the floor, groaning mechanically. "Yes, master." Hatred surged through his veins, and he didn't bother to stop himself. Pulling out his lightsaber, he ignited it, its red blade humming to life.

In a flash, Darth Sidious' identical blade was out, and the two Sith, master and apprentice, prepared to do battle.

"You will not control the galaxy anymore, Sidious," spoke Vader. At this, Emperor Palpatine emitted a laugh, low and menacing at first, then developing into a high, evil shriek.

Vader's mask showed no emotion, but if it could, it would be furious. With a cry, he pushed off from where he stood and lunged at his former master, raining blows upon Darth Sidious that not even Master Yoda could have outdone.

--

Darth Sidious couldn't help but be impressed as he saw his apprentice draw energy from the Dark Side and unleash it through his lightsaber. He knew that Vader was nowhere near his full strength – he had yet to recover from his devastating defeat to Master Kenobi at Mustafar – but he knew that his power must have been overwhelming. As he fought to keep his lightsaber between Vader's and his body, however, he sensed that Vader was completely disciplined. Maybe it was the mask, but Darth Vader was seeming almost ... calm. He seemed completely in control, without giving in to his emotions. His vast reservoir of Dark energy was being doled out in controlled bursts.

It must have been Jedi training. But how could that be? Sidious had wiped out Vader's past influence from the Light side long ago. Unless ...

--

Sidious' lightsaber flashed left and right, and suddenly, Vader began to sense something new in the man. Fear. He grinned underneath his mask, he knew that Sidious' skills with a lightsaber were subpar at best. And although he had been weakened at Mustafar, he still possessed some level of skill to do battle with a lightsaber.

The two lightsabers crossed once more, and locked. Vader and Sidious began a battle of strength, both physically and of the Force. Vader reached his hand back, and performed a quick Force shove, not hard enough to shove him away, and therefore out of striking distance, but just far enough so that Sidious could be out of balance when he came in again. But before he could deliver the final blow, Sidious leapt out of the way, and shut off his lightsaber.

"You have been lying to me, Vader."

Darth Vader scowled. Now was not the time to talk. It was the time for battle. "You are still too much of a politician, Sidious."

"The Light side, I sense in you."

Vader's mind suddenly filled with confusion. "What are you talking about?" he said incredulously.

"You have been training."

Vader's face split into a grin under his emotionless mask. "Yes, Sidious. I have. And I will become more powerful than you can ever dream to be."

The two Sith fell into battle again, lightsabers igniting and flashing in brilliant crimson light. Footsteps, Vader's heavy breathing, and Palpatine's panting were the only sounds that resounded in the room other than the zap and slashes of the lightsabers.

Then the hatches and doors opened to the room, and Storm troopers poured in. Vader flashed Palpatine a look and the Sith Lord's smug look told him that during their battle he had somehow used the Force to call for assistance.

"Weakling," Vader spat, and, resolved to take that smile off Palpatine's face once and for all. Again the two saber's locked, and Vader and Palpatine pushed with all their respective mights.

"KILL HIM!" Palpatine shrieked. He couldn't hold on much longer. The Storm troopers looked at each other uncertainly, knowing that if they fired they were more likely to kill the Emperor than the Sith Apprentice.

With a deft twist and flick of his wrist. Vader sent Palpatine's lightsaber bouncing across the floor. Then he stabbed Palpatine's left thigh, retracted his blade, raised his lightsaber up high, and prepared to slice the elder Sith in half.

But the Force told him that a laser bolt was headed towards him, and he instinctively blocked the blast. Vader knew at once that he had lost the initiative and the advantage. With Palpatine moaning on the ground, the Storm troopers had a clean look at him, and opened fire. Vader worked his lightsaber quickly, sending bolts back at the Storm troopers while making his way to the nearest exit. He choked one Storm tooper, and flung him into the mass of other Storm troopers, causing four or five of them to stumble and fall. Vader, upon reaching the door, backed through it, then used the Force to slam the door shut.

One unlucky Storm trooper's arm was trapped under the door. Just to humor himself, Vader reached out into the Force, and broke every bone in that Storm trooper's hand. "That's better," he said, then strode to the flight testing centers.

No time to pick and choose. Vader jumped into the nearest fighter, which happened to be the prototype TIE fighter, and proceeded to lift off.

Storm troopers entered the docking bay. "Damn," Vader said. He activated his shields, and blasted away, slamming over Storm troopers as he attempted to get out of there.

In about thirty seconds, it was done. He was away from the Death Star. He was gone, leaving the pure darkness behind.

Vader sighed in his seat in relief, then punched in the codes to get into hyperspace.


	2. As One Sith dies, Another is Born

Chapter Two – As One Sith Dies, Another is Born

Montu Kiljek, even after two years, deeply mourned the loss of his former padawan. She had been well on her way to becoming a great Jedi Knight, and the two shared a relationship not unlike the relationship shared with Obi-Wan Kenobi and his former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker.

He mouthed his name, fury rising in his chest. Skywalker was the one who had killed Tarra. Killed his padawan. Montu Kiljek remembered the murder. The two were battling in the Jedi Temple, with their blades locked, each engaged in a shoving match. Tarra, with her two lightsabers to Anakin's one, managed to push Anakin back, and was about to deliver a well placed strike when Anakin used the Force and shoved her off the balcony. She hit the ground, did a roll, and tried to regain her balance. She was noticeably dizzy.

And as Montu Kiljek watched in horror, Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, had lifted a fallen flaming pillar in the Jedi Temple, and sent it crashing down upon his padawan. His Tarra.

"NOOOOO!" He had cried, drawing his lightsaber, but Anakin had already gone. He rushed to Tarra's side, lifted the pillar above her crushed body, and wept.

From that day forward, Montu Kiljek had vowed to destroy Anakin Skywalker when he got the chance. He was in hiding at the moment, in Turanis, but he had continued training, and he was pleased to say that his fighting skills had not diminished in the least.

--

Darth Vader stepped off his TIE Fighter onto the sandy ground of Tatooine. He had felt his former master's Force signature here, and wanted to see him. He wanted to apologize for everything.

But above all, he needed his former master's help. To get out of this cursed suit. To become human again.

No, not human. Darth Vader knew that he could never be human again – he had no real limbs, after all, and the remains of his body had been scorched by the fires of Mustafar. For three long months he had to deal with the unrelenting pain in his body, as those burn wounds had never been properly healed by Palpatine's droids.

"Stupid droids," he tried to mutter, but out of his mask came the same, monotonous, and powerful voice that was installed into his speaker system.

Then he set off across the desert sands in search of Obi-Wan's residence.

--

Obi-Wan Kenobi was getting bored of his life, and when the door of his cave was knocked upon,he wearily rose from his bed, expecting to see Owen or Beru calling upon him to calm the little boy Luke down.

What he saw at the door nearly drained his face of his blood, and it was all he could do to keep his composure.

"What are you doing here ... Vader?" Obi-Wan said slowly, and recognizing the force signature of his former padawan.

"Obi-Wan," the helmetted robot-human spoke, then sank to his knees. "... I'm sorry. About Mustafar. About the Jedi Order. About ..." he would have continued, but his mind was reeling from regret, as all his past wrongdoings had returned to haunt him.

But no, Darth Vader never wept. He stood up, and said matter-of-factly, "I have renounced Emperor Palpatine. I have left the Empire."

Obi-Wan's shoocked face split into a grin. "Welcome back to the Light, Anakin."

Vader's mask looked down at the ground. "I did not say I renounced the Dark Side."

Obi-Wan continued to smile. "Qui-Gon once told me, that there is no Dark or Light Side. It depends on how you manipulate the Force to reach your goals. And, depending on what your goals are, that determines what kind of person you are."

From that point forward, Darth Vader died. Anakin Skywalker had returned to the monstrous black caped machine. "Master ... help me get rid of my suit. Help me restore my body."

Obi-Wan's smile widened. "I know just the person. He helped restore someone else not too long ago."

"Who?"

"Tarra."

"Montu Kiljek's old padawan?"

"Yes."

"He ... restored her. After I crushed her with a giant temple pillar?"

"Yes. Master Kiljek is still in hiding in Turanis, and does not know about this. But once he returns from the Outer Rim, he would be pleased..."

"Master?"

"Yes."

"Lead me there."

--

"Master Skywalker, we will need your cooperation!"

Anakin struggled against the droids. He hated droids, and he had an instinctive reaction to destroy them ... he had already used the force to blow up two of them.

"Anakin, please! Let them do their job!" Obi-Wan cried. Anakin gritted his teeth, but finally relented, allowing the droids to remove his black suit, to find ...

"Oh my ..." Obi-Wan was unable to keep it to himself.

Anakin groaned as his flesh made contact with outside air for the first time in two years. His burned flesh. His helmet was slowly removed, causing yet another gasp from Obi-Wan. The Jedi Master slumped into his chair, wondering why he didn't just kill Anakin instead of leaving him in the hot sands of Mustafar.

Anakin lifted his head, his eyes slowly blinking, unaccustomed to the light. "I told you it was bad," he said. "But ... I forgive you, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan lifted his face from his hands, which he had buried it into. Tears shone in his eyes, as he mouthed, "I'm sorry."

Anakin lowered his head to his mattress, causing a headache. His head just didn't feel right anymore without the safe confines of his helmet. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain at the side of his neck, and suddenly everything began to go dark. "I've been drugged," he thought as he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

--

Across the galaxy, Emperor Palpatine lay on his bed, droids attending to his injured leg. Darth Vader was lost to him, but he still owned the galaxy. And he still had time to search for his next apprentice.

"Skywalker ... do not think that I am finished with you." Sidious hissed. He turned to his med-droids, and motioned for them to leave him. He then reached into the force, searching for Force signatures. He would find a new apprentice, one more powerful than ever before. That was his destiny, after all. To find the one person who could bring more power than ever before. Perhaps Vader was it. He was, after all, an extremely powerful Sith. But perhaps he wasn't.

Darth Sidious let out a low cackle, imagining the power that could be handed to him once young Skywalker was under his control – the same feeling he had felt when he had begun to turn Anakin Skywalker to the Dark side.

--

Anakin's eyes slowly blinked open, adjusting to the brightness around him. It felt good to be able to see again. He groggily sat up in his bed, and the first thing he noticed was that he could sit up without pain. He hadn't felt that in a long time. He flexed his new prosthetic arms and hands, feeling them contract and release in reflexive movements. He shifted a leg. Then he looked up, and gasped.

On the wall opposite his bed was large mirror. And as Anakin stared into his own blue eyes where a huge black mask had been for the better part of two years, he couldn't help but feel incredulous.

Slowly he made his way off his bed – he would have moved faster, but was still unused to movement with his new limbs – and approached the mirror. Most of the scars on his face had disappeared, with the exception of one particularly nasty gash he had received across his left cheek. Most of his hair had even grown back – his head looked almost as if he had never been to Mustafar.

His left hand moved down along that scar on his face, feeling the new sensations his metallic hands 'felt', the electronic senses pulsing along his fingers. It then trailed to his chest, where he found a small metal chip, no doubt regulating his breathing and circulation. It was a lot smaller than the one Sidious had provided for him in his Vader suit, and thankfully it didn't cause him to make that damned "pooooohhh khhhhhhhh" sound every time he breathed.

"Anakin, you're awake!" Obi-Wan's voice came from the corridor. Anakin turned and smiled at his former master.

"I love it," he said.

Obi-Wan smiled before musing "You may want to see your back before you make that judgement."

"Is it bad?"

"It's still heavily scarred, but it was much better than it was three months ago."

"Three months?" Anakin didn't realize he had been there for so long.

"Actually you've been here nearly half a year. Your injuries were very extensive, and the droids spent a lot of time working on a smaller ventilation and circulation chip so that you can still sustain life without compromising your movement."

Anakin nodded. "They did a good job. I almost didn't notice it."

Obi-Wan and Anakin both turned to the mirror to look at Anakin's reflection. Then Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, and spoke. "You are going to undergo an intense rehab program. You will be re-trained until you can move freely with your new body."

Anakin cocked his head. "Who's going to be my teacher?" he mused, already knowing the answer.

Obi-Wan grinned, then said, "You're going to be my padawan again."

--

Tarra Havanis didn't forget things. She never forgets.

Which is why for two years – well, almost two, as she had spent about three months in rehabilitation and body repairs – her heart burned with hatred of Anakin Skywalker. The one who had betrayed the Jedi Temple. The one who had betrayed her.

flashback

"You were my friend! You were like a brother! You're betraying yourself! You're betraying the Republic! You're betraying ME!" Tarra screamed at Anakin.

Anakin ignited his lightsaber. "No. The Jedi betrayed me. They held me back. You betrayed me by believing in them. I will do what I must."

Tarra whipped out her dual sabers. She found that two were much easier to fight with than just one. "Then I'm going to have to stop you."

Anakin shook his head. "I don't want to have to kill you, Tarra."

"Don't worry, it's the other way around. I am going to kill you."

"You will try, old friend."

end flashback

Tarra bit back tears as she remembered the old days. She and Anakin were good friends in the Jedi temple – her friendship was probably second among Jedi only to Obi-Wan Kenobi. But somehow, Anakin had forgot it all. He forgot his principles and morals. He forgot everything about being a Jedi. He forgot ...

The door opened. Tarra turned to see the Emperor himself stride in, two Storm troopers at his side. She pulled out her lightsabers, but did not ignite them.

"Emperor Palpatine," she acknowledged.

"Yes, Jedi Knight. I sense ... hatred ... in you,"

Tarra cursed under her breath. She had let her face betray her emotions again. When was she going to listen to her old master and learn to control her feelings?

"Hate is a natural feeling, young Jedi. Especially to others who have tried to kill you. Isn't that so, Tarra Havanis?"

Tarra nodded, her throat constricting.

"Let me help you. I will help you to destroy those you hate, and to restore those that you love. Where is your old master, young Jedi?"

Tarra's lips tightened and her face pulled into a grim expression. "Probably dead. Or worse."

Palpatine nodded, even though he knew for a fact that he wasn't. His Storm troopers had informed him of their failure to kill him just seven months earlier. "I can help you bring him back."

Tarra looked up at this. "Really?" she asked, obviously intrigued and interested.

Palpatine nodded. "I don't know how to do it yet. But with a bright mind like yours, it shouldn't be too difficult for us to figure out." He knew that he had used the same line on Anakin Skywalker, and that had turned out beautifully.

It worked. Tarra had been converted to the Dark Side. "I-I pledge myself to you. I will do anything you ask. Just let me destroy Anakin Skywalker, and revive my old master."

Emperor Palpatine smiled. It seemed almost too easy." Good," he drawled. "Henceforth you shall be named ... Petra. Rise, my new apprentice."


	3. Chapter 3 skip this chap

Chapter 3

This is just a random chapter, because I screwed up counting, lol. Skip right ahead to Chapter 4, guys. Chap 4's short, but Chapter 5 is pretty long.

READ AND REVIEW GUYS.

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	4. Indecision

Chapter Four

Anakin stood, perfectly balanced, his newly constructed blue lightsaber humming to life. His former sith blade hung at his side. He would never destroy it – destroying it would mean relinquishing a part of him.

"C'mon, master. Is that all you got?"

Obi-Wan panted slightly as he regarded his former apprentice. "I don't know what the emperor has done with you, but you're as powerful as ever."

Anakin nodded, then launched a flurry of strikes against his former master, his last strike hitting Obi-Wan on the side. Fortunately for Obi-Wan, these training lightsabers weren't lethal – they just gave the victim a nasty sting.

"OUCH!"

"You're right. I'm as powerful as I was since I last faced you. Which was hard since, y'know, all of my limbs are missing."

Obi-Wan smiled, in a grimacing kind of way.

"But it wasn't Sidious' doing, master. It was yours."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, don't you remember?"

Obi-Wan smiled. Of course he remembered. Training Anakin was his greatest achievement ... well .. until Anakin turned to the dark side, anyway.

"Yeah .. slicing off my arm and legs, that wasn't very nice, master," Anakin teased. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. He knew Anakin had forgiven him, but he also knew that the former Sith would never stop tormenting him about that day at Mustafar. That day he struck down his own padawan, and left him to burn alive.

Anakin must have sensed his master's discomfort, because he activated his lightsaber. "C'mon, Obi-Wan. Give me all you got."

--

Darth Sidious looked at the half constructed Death Star from a window aboard his star ship. "Darth Petra," he drawled, "you have done well these past few months ... I am going to send you on a mission."

Tarra nodded. She never liked being called "Darth Petra". Petra just sounded so ... stiff. All the same, she could barely contain her excitement – she was being sent on a mission. If she did well on her missions, Sidious had promised that she could seek her revenge.

Darth Petra's face split into a grin.

Sidious cackled, obviously sensing Tarra's excitement. "Good ... you are learning well ... now, On Naboo there have been several uprisings. I want you ... to crush them."

"Yes, my master." With that short, terse answer, Tarra strode from the room.

--

Anakin was working on his fighter. Again. Obi-Wan smiled. Anakin had always been fascinated by starships. "Anakin, how long are you going to work on that thing?"

Anakin finished turning the last bolt with a grunt, then crawled out from under the ship. "As long as I need to, Obi-Wan."

He continued excitedly. "I've added a hyperdrive unit, and another engine in the back, so if my forward engine gets hit, I can switch controls to the backup. I've also added missile capabilities and more intricate gunnery –"

Obi-Wan held up a hand, motioning for him to stop. "Anakin, your fighter is the best in the galaxy already! But that wasn't what I came here to talk to you about."

Anakin put his wrench aside. "What is it, master?"

"Bail Organa just contacted me. Naboo is under attack from Imperial troops."

"Naboo?" Anakin froze. Naboo, of course, is – _was_ – Padme's home planet. "Why, what did they do?"

"It seems the Rebels on Naboo have fallen out of grace with the Emperor."

"Whoops," Anakin breathed. Then, after a long pause, he said, "We have to help them."

"But you haven't completed your training yet," Obi-Wan started to argue, but he knew Anakin had already made up his mind. And, as he well knew, when Anakin made up his mind, there was nothing in the galaxy that could stop him from reaching his goal.

"We're _going_, Obi-Wan. I'm not going to let any more people die because I didn't save them. First my mom, then Padme, then ..."

Obi-Wan's stomach churned. This was sounding disturbingly like what Anakin said before he turned to the dark side. "Anakin, you can't save _everyone_."

"I know, master. But this is Padme's family we're talking about."

So it hadn't been about the whole planet. Anakin just felt attached to one family. "No, Anakin. This is the planet of Naboo we're talking about."

"But you just said –"

"Forget what I said. We're moving. Now."

Anakin stood beside Obi-Wan, stunned at how quickly his former master had changed his mind. Obi-Wan Kenobi then turned and strode towards his ship.

Anakin turned slowly. "C'mon, Artoo. You're going home for awhile," he said. Looking at Obi-Wan again, he decided that his Jedi mind tricks must have gotten better. Either that, or his mind was playing tricks on him.

--

GO CHAPTER 5


	5. Darkness Falls

Chapter Five

"Artoo, make the jump out of hyperspace," Anakin said, then watched as the stars came into focus. Artoo beeped in response.

Almost immediately following that was a series of warnings. "Blast. Obi-Wan, they've spotted you."

Obi-Wan grimaced. "I know. Arfour, I'll handle the steering."

The response clearly had the tone of _"what, you don't trust my steering skills?"_

The Jedi Master sighed. "No, Arfour, I just think you're a better gunner than I am."

Arfour tootled.

"They're on your tail, Master. Bank right! Now!" Anakin yelled into his mouthpiece as Obi-Wan's ship flew into a spiral. "Are you hit, Obi-Wan? Hang on, I'm going in."

Obi-Wan was still dizzy from the huge evasive spins that he had taken his ship through, but groggily he found his own mouthpiece and spoke, "I'm fine, no damage. Did I ever tell you how much I hate flying?"

His only response was an exploding Imperial ship. "TIE Fighters," Anakin explained.

"You helped build them didn't you?"

"Sorry, master."

"They're good."

"Thanks. I'll bet you I can blow up 3 ships to your every one. Loser pays for the next time we eat out."

"I don't –" Obi-Wan started, but Anakin had already gone forward. Obi-Wan incredulously as missiles shot out of Anakin's Delta-7, each locking on to an individual TIE fighter. The first TIE fighter managed to dodge the missile with a snap roll to the left ... right into Anakin's laser cannons.

"Good work, Artoo. Score's 4-nothing."

"No betting!"

Obi-Wan's fighter lurched forward, as he rushed to join the battle. Not that it was much of one. The rebels on Naboo only had old fighters that were simply no match for the TIE fighter units. "Anakin, we need to go down to the surface!" he cried.

Anakin grimaced. "And what do you propose to do when we get there?"

"We'll ..." Obi-Wan honestly had never given that part of it much though.

"Aggressive negotiations, then. It's settled."

"Anakin?"

Anakin, by now, was completely focused on blowing up Imperial ships. "Take _that_, you idiot. And THAT."

"Anakin?"

"Artoo, fire!"

"ANAKIN!"

Anakin's voice almost sounded happy through his headset. "Yes, master?"

"How are we going to get down?"

More laser fire. Anakin destroyed another ship. "Sorry, master, what was that?"

"HOW are WE going to GET DOWN TO THE SURFACE?"

"Oh." Anakin seemed completely unconcerned. Obi-Wan could barely hide his frustration. "Hang on, master. I think I've got them ..."

"I KNOW YOU CAN GET THEM, ANAKIN! HOW ARE WE GOING TO –"

Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt it through the Force. A feeling that something incredible was about to –

"Hang on, master. When I say "go", head as fast as you can down for the planet's surface, alright? I'll be right after you."

Obi-Wan stared, perplexed. "What? Can't you see all those ships? I'll crash!"

"That will be taken ... care of ..." Anakin's voice replied. Obi-Wan sighed, and settled back into his seat. "Prepare engines for full throttle, Arfour," he said.

One shot from Anakin's fighter was all it took. The laser fire hit the first TIE fighter's fuselage, causing it to explode. The explosion, somehow, incredibly, caused scrap metal and debris to hit the ship that happened to be right behind it. On and on it went, until nearly every TIE fighter was taken out within 100 meters of them.

"GO! HURRY! The enemy TIEs are closing in!"

The two Delta-7's hurtled downward to the planet.

"That was good. How'd you get them in a huge mass like that?"

"Well, by shooting around them. I shot all the border ships, and it worked; they all massed out in the middle. It was only common sense to wipe them out. So, I suggest Dex's Diner."

"I never actually made the bet."

"Bantha poodoo. I was looking forward to Nexu stew, too."

"Be quiet for a bit, I want to land without getting my tail shot off," Obi-Wan warned ... since there were four TIE fighters hot on their tail.

"Hang on, master. Those guys are as good as dead."

"How? You don't have any ordnance left!"

Anakin nodded, then moved his fighter close to Obi-Wan's, and twisted it upside down, so that his canopy almost touched the canopy of Obi-Wan's fighter.

"Anakin you're going to get us both killed!"

"So sorry, master," Anakin said. His brow was furrowed in concentration, Obi-Wan could tell, as he looked upwards from his seat. Then Anakin punched a button and ...

"Anakin, I think your ship is losing something."

"I just had Artoo release the spare parts canisters."

"What? Why?" Obi-Wan shouted, perplexed, before he saw through his rear viewscreen that the four TIE fighters had run into Anakin's parts, and two of them had detonated. The other two were able to get through unscathed, and began shooting at their ships.

"What's the plan now, Anakin?" Obi-Wan remarked dryly, as he did a snap roll to dodge the laser fire.

"Easy."

"WHAT'S EASY?" Obi-Wan was practically screaming.

"You go left, I'll go right."

That seemed simple enough. Unfortunately for Obi-Wan, both TIE fighters decided that his fighter was easier to target than Anakin's was.

Anakin cursed. It wasn't supposed to work this way. Oh well, he supposed he could take care of them in a different way.

He shot upwards, then turned his fighter down. "Obi-Wan, GO!" he screamed.

Obi-Wan looked up to see Anakin's fighter plummeting down on him. He put his fighter on max speed, and zoomed away from Anakin's nose dive. "What are you ..."

Anakin's brow furrowed in concentration. Normally this was an impossible move. But Anakin Skywalker was always able to make the impossible seem merely difficult. The two TIE fighters screamed in, one after the other. Anakin positioned himself, and angled for a dive.

His fighter screeched in just in front of the first TIE fighter, so close his tailfins were nearly touching the TIE fighter's cockpit.

"What the –" sputtered the TIE fighter pilot, and instinctively turned on the reverse thrusters and fired a quick burst. Anakin snap-rolled away, but his left wing was shot off. Meanwhile, the TIE fighter's sudden reverse caughted the second pilot off guard, and the two fighters collided in midair with a deafening explosion.

Obi-Wan's voice crackled into his radio. "Impressive."

"Wait until after we land before congratulating. I still have to land this heap of junk."

"Heap of junk? You spent days working on that thing!"

"... well, _now _it's a heap of junk," Anakin retorted, and Obi-Wan had to agree. The remains of the left wing was smoking as the two fighters made their way to the surface of Naboo.

--

"_TWO_ ships made it past our blockade, captain? Is that what you're saying?"

"Y-yes, milady."

Darth Petra scowled. Leave it to those Imperial idiots to screw up her plans. "Did you send additional troops after them?"

"Yes, milady. The 33rd battalion had been dispatched against them. They returned at less that 40 strength, and reported no success."

It was all the Sith Lady could do not toe speak incredulously "Two people eliminated 3/5 of a _battalion?"_

"Ready my ship, I'll take care of them," she said, assuming a calm demeaner.

"Do you want assistance, milady? They seem like able fighters."

"I can handle some pilots," Tarra growled. The clone took the hint and backed off. Tarra's head was spinning. How had _two_ fighters blasted a gaping hole in her defenses? She oversaw the blockade herself, making sure that if any enemy had engaged, they would be quickly surrounded and outnumbered. Her hands twitched near her dual lightsabers, she had a feeling they would be needed.

As she approached her ship, though, a queasy feeling had developed in her stomach. Could it be that ... no, it was impossible. The Jedi were destroyed a long time ago. By _him_. Her eyes narrowed impulsively. The droids fixing her ship thought she was displeased with their progress, and scattered.

She settled into her seat, telling herself it was nothing, and she would take care of this new threat, quickly, so she could complete her mission.

--

"Master Kenobi! Master Skywalker! Mesa so glad to asee yous again!"

Obi-Wan smiled, "Hello, Jar Jar."

Anakin frowned internally, but managed to nod in the Gungan's general direction. He had always thought of Jar Jar Binks to be one of the most annoying creatures in the galaxy. If he was still Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, leading the Imperial assault on Naboo, the Gungan would probably be his first kills.

"Can you lead us to the Rebel leader?"

"Certainly! Mesa honored to ..."

"Just take us there, please, Jar Jar," Anakin spoke, bringing the power of the Force into his voice. Obi-Wan glanced at him, frowning.

Minutes later, the two Jedi – well, one Jedi and one Chosen One – approached the Rebel leaders. "General Kenobi," the man acknowledged.

"You know him?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Captain Friese, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin, Captain Friese," he introduced.

The captain sputtered. "Anak- THE Anakin Skywalker?" Anakin shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I thought Anakin Skywalker died in the Clone Wars! Good to have you back!"

Anakin sighed in relief. For a minute he thought Captain Friese was going to say "The Anakin Skywalker that turned against the Jedi?" He shook the thought out of his head and listened intently.

"We don't have enough men to hold back the Imperials forever, they'll run us over. We're currently trying to evacuate everyone out of the major cities, so the Imperials won't be able to get them. We've already got Queen Jamillia out of here without Imperials finding out, so I think we're doing pretty well."

"Well, I'll be sure to alert the bounty hunters about the queen's escape," a cold female voice rang out behind them.

The three men turned to see Tarra Havanis.

"I should have known it was you, Skywalker. You were never one to abide by the rules. Whatever you did to my fleet, it was impressive. But no matter, you will pay for what you did."

Anakin stared, incredulous. "Tarra, I'm so glad to see—"

"Don't pretend we're still friends, Skywalker. You destroyed our friendship the night you decided the Jedi were your enemies."

"Tarra, I never wanted to ..."

"Don't play innocent with me. I'm sick of listening to you, Skywalker."

Obi-Wan decided to intervene. "Anakin was acting upon orders that night, Tarra," he spoke quietly.

"Oh, you too, Kenobi? I never knew you were such a rebel, But oh well, like master, like padawan." She ignited her sabers, twin blood red Sith lightsabers. "It will be a pleasure to kill you both."

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged glances. "This is my fight, Obi-Wan," the younger warrior said. "You get the rebels out of the way."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm not going without you, Anakin."

Anakin gritted his teeth. "Obi-Wan, I need to do this alone. Please, _go_."

Obi-Wan looked at his old padawan awhile, and noted the concern in his face. "Fine," he said resignedly, "but if you get yourself killed I will personally –"

"A Jedi knows no hatred, nor love, Obi-Wan. You of all people must know that. Now go."

Obi-Wan grinned, despite the situation. "Until we meet again," he turned and began to walk away, while Anakin ignited his blue lightsaber. "Contact Artoo with the coordinates," Anakin shouted at Obi-Wan as he left.

"I've had enough of waiting!" Tarra screamed, then sprang forward, her lightsabers moving with such speed and force that Anakin had to parry desperately to prevent his head getting sliced off.

"I sense the dark side in you," Anakin said in-between slashes.

Tarra leapt back, her lightsabers making an X shape in front of her chest. "I ... am Darth Petra, Lady of the Sith."

Anakin gasped. Had Sidious found an apprentice so quickly? How was this possible? It took _years_ for Sidious to convince Anakin to join the dark side. Years of manipulation. Years of false promises. Promises such that Padme would survive.

Anakin growled. The Emperor would die for what he had done. For what he made Anakin do. "You forget something," he said suddenly.

"Oh? And what is that?"

Anakin answered with a growl, focusing all his anger against Palpatine, using the Dark Lord' teachings. He had grown powerful with the dark side, and he knew it. Raising his left hand, he made a fist, and Tarra could no longer breathe.

"That I was the Greatest Sith Lord the Order had ever known," Anakin said, his facial features turning into a scowl.

This took Tarra by surprise. Master Sidious had never told her that _The Anakin Skywalker_ was a Sith Lord. She began to see spots, she couldn't breathe! And just as sh made a mental plea to start breathing again, she felt Anakin release her.

Anakin turned his Force choke into a push, sending his former friend crashing upon the floor.

Suddenly everything came into focus. Tarra realized that she was becoming what Anakin had become. Her eyes flickered back to their natural grey, and she looked down at the ground, away from Anakin.

--

_I'm really a mess. Because I turned, I'm making the remaining Jedi turn, because they want to kill me._ Anakin thought sadly. "Don't do this," he cried. "Don't fall to the Dark Side! Don't let Emperor Palpatine control you! It does nothing for you! It only brings pain ..."

"I DON'T NEED THE EMPEROR to GIVE ME PAIN!" Tarra screamed, her eyes locked in a furious golden gaze. "YOU DID THAT! YOU GAVE ME PAIN!"

Anakin shook his head. "It's a different kind of pain, Tarra. I'm sorry I hurt you ... but what the Emperor can do to you ... don't fall like I did, Tarra."

"You know NOTHING of pain!" Tarra shrieked.

Anakin's face darkened. "I know nothing of pain?" he said angrily. "Did you say I KNOW NOTHING OF PAIN?"

Suddenly Tarra's mind was being attacked. She struggled to put up her mental barriers, but Anakin's vicious shove forced his way through. Tarra began to see Anakin's memories.

Arm sliced off against Dooku ... Killing the Count unarmed ... Dreams of Padme's death ... The Jedi Council not trusting him ... Palpatine's promises ... Slicing off Master Windu's hand ... Killing all the Jedi in the Jedi Temple, with tears streaming down his face the entire time ... Killing the Separatists at Mustafar ... choking Padme ... fighting Obi-Wan ...

Lying in the hot sad, in flames ... looking up at Obi-Wan with sunken eyes ...

It all ended as quickly as it started. Tarra used the last of her mental strength to force Anakin out. She looked up from where she lay curled on the ground and saw him on the ground, on all fours. "That ... was pain ... Tarra ..."

Tarra couldn't believe herself. She understood, now, why Anakin did what he did. He understood how he had fallen. And she couldn't believe that the reason _she_ fell was so superficial in comparison to his reasons.

Anakin's eyes locked in with Tarra's grey orbs. "Do you see, now? Do you understand? I turned to the Dark Side to save Padme! And she DIED. The Emperor takes you nowhere." Anakin was shaking. The desks and consoles in the Rebel base shook, exploded, and sent sparks and splinters all around the two humans. Anakin's anger was overwhelming. Then it ended.

"I gave it up, Tarra," Anakin growled. "The Emperor does nothing for you. But I'm too immersed into the Dark side to give it up completely. It is what I am, Tarra. And it will always be a part of you. But please, don't go back to the Empire. Help us ... I gave up the name Darth Vader. You should give up the name Darth Petra."

By now, Tarra was utterly confused. "How the hell are you going to turn me back to the Light if you can't keep your own emotions in check? What kind of a Jedi are you?"

"I'm not a Jedi," Anakin said quietly.

Tarra, frustrated, retorted, "What kind of ... whatever the hell you are ... are you?"

Anakin could barely stifle his laughter. "Is that all you got, Tarra? What have I taught you all these years? Have you forgotten?"

Tarra didn't smile. "It's too late, Anakin. You're too late. All you want is to help yourself."

"Tarra, you know that's not true!"

"I need to be going. I will inform my master that the queen had escaped, and that two Jedi are on the loose."

"I'm _NOT_ a Jedi!"

"Whatever you are."

"I won't let you do this, Tarra!"

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it, Skywalker?"

"I ... I will do what I must."

"You will try."

Two red lightsabers ignited. Anakin pushed the activation button on his lightsaber, his blade humming to life. _How ironic. That's what I told her when I killed her the first time. Well, I thought I killed her._

--

Tarra brought her blades upwards, then swung them down in a graceful arc. She charged against Anakin, her twin blades creating mirror images of the other. Anakin parried desperately against Tarra's two blades. He had to admit, his powers weren't as great as they had been before his fall at Mustafar, but with his renewed training, he had to have regained much of his strength. In both the Dark Side and the Light.

For Anakin was not a Jedi. Nor was he a Sith. He was, to put it simply, both. He was the Yin and the Yang. He was black and white. Dark and light. Gripping his blade tightly with his right hand, he lunged at Tarra, accelerating his strike with the Force, and locked blades with the young Sith.

But locking blades with a two-bladed Sith was harder than locking blades with a one-bladed one, especially of a fighter of Tarra's caliber. As the blades locked, Tarra's second blade came flying out of nowhere, singing his clothes as Anakin took a flying leap backward, and barely saving himself from certain death.

Tarra came in strong, her lightsabers flashing, and Anakin once again was forced on the defensively, not even thinking about breaking the flow of Tarra's attack, but only trying to pick off every jab and slash that she threw at him.

Fortunately for Anakin, one of his parries intercepted not Tarra's blade, but the hilt of her lightsaber, which immediately extinguished and clattered on the floor. Anakin then pressed the attack, his blade slashing left, right, up, and down, in no pattern, and it was all Tarra could do to use her one blade to hold him off.

Soon Tarra's back pressed up against the wall – there would be no more retreat. The two blades once again locked, and Anakin used his superior strength to force Tarra's blade back towards herself.

Tarra pulled her left hand back, then shoved Anakin so hard, and caught him so off guard that he skidded across the floor and dropped his lightsaber, which fell out of reach. He tried to get up and grasp his lightsaber, but Tarra was upon him.

Dropping her lightsaber, she reached out with both hands and sent a deadly course of Force Lightning through his body.

The pain ... and suddenly he felt he couldn't breathe. The lightning must have damaged the microchip that the doctors had put in him. Or completely destroyed it, since he couldn't breathe at all. His head swam ... and then the lightning stopped.

Suddenly a pure hatred and fury engulfed him. "Tarra," he gasped. "You will regret you ever did that."

With the last of his strength he lifted his right arm, and once again Tarra Havanis felt her throat clenching. Anakin made a fist, and her throat continued to squeeze; she was lifted into the air slightly, by his chokehold. She couldn't breathe! She needed oxygen to ...

... and then all went black.

Anakin lifted his head weakly, his face now very pale, and fell back against the floor, blackness consuming his vision.

--

WHAT'S NEXT? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO VADER – errr .. I mean, ANAKIN? (that was a hint of what's next, by the way)


	6. Shell of the Dark Lord

Chapter 6

Anakin awoke.

He was seeing red. What was going on? His head pounded, everything was dark, except the two familiar circular lenses with digital displays on them ...

Everything was silent. And then he heard it. Those dreaded sounds. The _pooooooohh khhhhhhhh_ of his old suit. What was going on? Anakin looked around. He was lying on a med table. He spoke, "What's going on?" His horrifying old mechanical voice had returned. Utterly confused, Anakin reached at the table at his bedside, finding a lightsaber. He ignited it, watching as it burned a sheer blue light. His left hand trailed down to his belt, where he found another lightsaber. The old Sith lightsaber that he had used for two years. The one he refused to destroy.

"Anakin! Anakin, thank the Force you're awake."

"What is happening, master?"

Obi-Wan looked down. "Your circuits were fried. We had to put you in the suit to keep you alive. What happened, Anakin? Why were you on the ground all burnt?"

"Tarra ... she couldn't be turned back to the light," Anakin said, his booming voice resounding in the room.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Well, she wasn't there when I got there," he shrugged. "We found your suit in your ship just in time. You were right to keep it around."

Anakin looked at his chest, flipped a few switches, and spoke, in his normal voice, "That's better. I always hated that voice." He was undoubtedly glad his voice was repaired well enough not to need the vocabulator.

Obi-Wan almost smiled. "Almost lost you there."

"I've still saved you ten times to your one."

"Nine, I told you, that business at Cato Neimoidia doesn't count."

"But I think slicing my limbs off automatically gets me another point." Obi-Wan fell silent. There was no response to that.

"So, where am I, Obi-Wan?" said Anakin, changing the topic. Obi-Wan was always sensitive about Mustafar.

"We're at Hoth."

"Hoth? What the blazes are we doing at Hoth?"

"Erm, we ran from the Imperials."

Anakin sat in silence. They were supposed to rescue Naboo, damn it. "Master. Padme's family. The Naberries. Did they –"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Yes, they're alive. But you can't see them. Not yet."

Anakin almost shouted. What kind of logic was this? "What do you MEAN I can't –"

Obi-Wan stifled a laugh. "You're wearing Vader's suit, obviously. They'll tear you apart once they see you.

"HAH! I'd like to see Jobal try to tear me apart."

"Well, seeing that you did kill Padme ..."

"Shut up." Anakin, like Obi-Wan was sensitive about maining Anakin, was sensitive to the fact that he killed his own wife during his fall to darkness. "So, what's going on?"

"Well, seeing our luck, the Imperials are probably going to find us here within the hour ..."

"You're kidding."

"Yes. Yes, I'm kidding. _Relax, _Anakin." Said Obi-Wan. It felt strange to tell a man who outwardly could display no emotions to relax. He was about to comment on the mask when an explosion rocked the room.

"Guess you weren't kidding?"

Obi-Wan looked grimly at Vader's mask, and nodded.

"C'mon, Obi-Wan! We got a battle to win!"

"Anakin, **wait!**"

Anakin stopped. "What now?"

"You're forgetting you're in your suit! The rebels will blast you to pieces once you step outside that door."

"HAH! I'd like to _see_ them..."

"Right. But _I_ don't want to see them try to kill you. So I'll contact Captain Friese and let them know that _Darth Vader_ has defected from the Empire."

"You mean nobody knows? And besides, did the Rebels help me into the ... ah ... suit?"

"Nobody knows, Anakin. The Empire had kept quiet about it ... well, until the Emperor's new apprentice was announced. But not many know much about the Sith's dealings, so I need to tell them. And no, the Rebels didn't help you into the suit. They helped you into the room. I brought the suit in. The droids put you in the suit. I wiped the droid's memory."

"Why would you –" Anakin began to retort, but Obi-Wan put a hand up to stop him. "I'm contacting Captain Friese. Turn on that voice enhancer ... whatever you call it."

Anakin glared at Obi-Wan through the mask. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Do it. They believe you are Darth Vader. I promise, we'll clear this up soon. But wait until the battle!"

Anakin breathed in and out, in his mechanical suit. "I hate that voice," he said shortly, but he turned on the vocabulator. "Microphone testing. One, Two Three." He nodded to Obi-Wan, who activated the hologram connection.

The transmitter blinked, then Captain Friese appeared on the screen. "Obi-Wan, is young Anakin awake?"

Obi-Wan kept his cool, but inside his mind was whirling. _What was he supposed to tell him?_ "Ah... we'll discuss that later. I am going to join the battle."

"Very well, Obi-Wan. I'll see you at the ..." Captain Friese froze. The only sound in the room was Vader, or rather, Anakin's heavy mechanical breathing.

"Obi-Wan," said Captain Friese cautiously, "Is Darth Vader ... there?"

Obi-Wan smiled, "Yes," he said good-naturedly.

"Isn't that ... er ... dangerous?"

"Darth Vader has defected from the Empire and is now fighting for the Rebel Alliance."

"Can you ... ah ... be sure of that ... master Jedi? Not to question your judgement, of course, but you've always told me that..."

"Treachery is the way of the Sith. Yes, that is true. But I trust Vader. Kindly relay this information to all the troops – _yes, all of them_," he added, seeing Captain Friese's perplexed look. "When you have finished, contact me, and Vader and I will join the fight _against the Imperials_," he stressed the last three words to ensure the Captain that Vader did indeed defect from the empire.

--

Fifteen standard minutes later, rebels watched in awe as Obi-Wan Kenobi strode out of the medical room with Darth Vader by his side. Obi-Wan smiled a bit, then said happily, "So where's the battle?"

The troops snapped out of their trance. "Oh, right, sir! Right here, sir. Follow me, please, sir!"

Anakin, or rather, Vader, boomed, "They're polite," to which the soldier stuttered, "Y-yes, sir ... if you would follow me ... sirs."

--

As soon as Anakin stepped outside into the swirling blizzard, into the middle of the battle, he recognized the huge looming shadow that sat above the clouds.

"Executor," he growled. Then he turned to the young soldier beside him. "Soldier! Prepare me a fighter!"

"S-sir, we're all out of ..."

"NOW."

"Y-yes sir."

"Really, Anakin," said Obi-Wan as soon as the young fighter was out of earshot. "Do you have to be so cruel to our own troops?"

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan through his mask. "That was my flagship."

Obi-Wan stared. "The Executor was _your_ flagship?" Everyone had heard how the Executor destroyed pretty much everything in her path.

Anakin nodded. "Many of those men on that ship are still loyal to me. They all hate the emperor, I'm sure of that. I'm much more ... _merciful_."

Obi-Wan snorted. "I'm sure of that, Anakin. After all, there are _only_ reports that you killed just about every officer who served under you."

"I only kill the dim-witted ones. The Emperor kills them all."

The young soldier returned. "Lord Vader, the fighter is prepared, sir," he said, with a trace of shaking in his voice.

Anakin looked at the young rebel, who was shaking out of his boots. "You have done well, young one. I'll see to it that you are promoted." The soldier turned beet red upon being complimented by the infamous Dark Lord himself, then said quietly, "Thank you, sir," turned on his heel, and marched off.

Anakin stepped into his prepared ship. "You're welcome to join me, if you wish."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I have some business to do. Good luck on re-taking the Executor, my friend."

Anakin regarded his former master. "Where are you going?"

"Dagobah."

Anakin had no idea why Obi-Wan wanted to go to a planet enshrouded in darkness, but he nodded. "May the Force be with you. I'll contact you once I have control of the Executor."

"May the Force be with you."

--

A/N : END CHAPTER 6! Read and Review.


	7. When Paths Cross

Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone, I appreciate it!

--

Obi-Wan cursed as he swung his lightsaber. The sooner he could fight his way back to headquarters, the sooner he could contact Captain Friese and tell him that he was heading to Dagobah to meet Master Yoda. Yoda had called to him through the Force.

Obi-Wan wanted to call headquarters so that he could simply make his way to his fighter without stopping to tell Captain Friese of his departure, but his comlink had been blasted to pieces when he had instinctively threw it to block a blaster bolt. Cursing again, he sliced the head off an Imperial Stormtrooper, pausing for a moment to watch it sail over the sky and land cleanly upside down, reddening the snowy ground.

He lost himself in the battle. He was no longer Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master. He was the Force itself. The Force guided him. And this was truly the difference between Jedi and Sith. Jedi allowed the Force to use them, using the Force only to do the Force's bidding. The Sith use the Force to do their own bidding.

Obi-Wan backed off from the frontlines, turned, and sprinted to headquarters, yelling for men to cover his position as he did.

--

"Request permission to dock at main hangar bay. Sector six dash four three," Anakin repeated through the com. He shook his masked head. Were Imperials always this stupid, or was it just because he had been away from them for so long?

A response came from the _Executor_. "Permission granted. Stray from your course and be immediately destroyed."

Anakin sighed, and activated his voice vocabulator. "Do you realize to whom you speak to?"

The guard listened intently, and heard the mechanical inhaling and exhaling of Vader's suit. "L-Lord V-Vader?" he whispered incredulously. "Yes, sir, welcome back, we will secure your private docking bay for entry, sir."

Anakin liked being in power again. Now if he could just do something about that blasted Emperor...

--

"You're _leaving?_"

"Yes, captain. The Force bids me to go to Dagobah."

"But that's miles away!"

"_Everything _is miles away out here in space, captain."

"It's just an expression, Obi-Wan."

"Well it's a flawed expression."

Captain Friese gritted his teeth, and looked at the digital holographic representation of the raging battle outside. He had been counting on having a Jedi around for the duration of the Battle of Hoth. "Obi-Wan, you _must_ stay here!" he ordered, looking up.

But the Jedi master was already gone.

--

Anakin settled into his hyperbaric chamber. As the robotic arms pulled off his helmet, he shook out his new hair. He reached out with his left hand and pressed the comlink button.

"Lieutenant, bring up the transmissions screen. Direct connect to frequency seven-eight-two-six."

"Yes, milord."

Anakin didn't bother to tell the captain to call him "Master Skywalker" for the upteenth time. If they wanted to refer to him as "his lordship", that was their problem, he didn't really care. There were more pressing matters to handle.

--

"What is thy bidding, my master?" Tarra's soft voice resounded in the empty room.

Emperor Palpatine continued to stare into the remaining unfinished portions of the Death Star. The whole facility would be completed in a matter of days. He smiled, then turned to his young apprentice. "I sense ... conflict ... within you ... Petra," he drawled.

"Yes, master. When I was in control of the Naboo attack, I ran into Anakin Skywalker."

The emperor held up a hand to silence her. "Yes ... I have foreseen it." He smiled. He could _feel_ her pain and anguish. "And he was probably the greatest apprentice I will ever have."

Tarra seethed with anger. _What about her?_, she thought furiously.

A deep laugh resounded across the room. "What have you done, Darth Petra? What have you done that Darth Vader did not do?"

She thought back. She hadn't actually _done_ anything other than the invasion of Naboo. Just training. "My training..." she blurted out.

"Lord Vader destroyed the Jedi for me. He brought me to power."

_For you!_ Tarra almost blurted that out in her state of shock. So Anakin Skywalker did not betray the Jedi, after all. He was forced to do the Emperor's bidding.

It all suddenly tied together. Anakin did the Emperor's bidding in hopes of saving his wife. But before she could figure the rest of it out, she was suddenly struck with pain. Electricity surged through her slim body. A laugh again resounded in the room. "And now _you_ are my apprentice, as Vader was once mine!"

Tarra cried out in pain. She was vulnerable to lightning, just like everyone else. Her recovery from Anakin's attack in the med center on Tatooine – the _only_ med center in Tatooine, come to think of it – had been done without any electrical supplements. She had made a full recovery.

Then the lightning stopped, and the pain subsided.

"You are dismissed."

"Very good, my master."

--

"Anakin?"

"Yes, master. I have recovered the Executor. The men have pledged their loyalty to _me_, and have renounced the Emperor."

"That easily?"

"Well, it took some ... _persuasion_ to get the stubborn ones on my side," Anakin said, glancing to the side where two Imperial officers lay, their necks distinctly broken.

Obi-Wan frowned in hologram. "You don't need to –" he started, but Anakin cut him off.

"Obi-Wan, the ends justifies the means. Anyway, I contacted you to ask you something else."

"Anything, Anakin."

"What do you know about Force healing?"

"What?"

"I've tried for years to heal myself, but it doesn't work. I can breathe on my own for a few minutes, then I go all dizzy. I need to learn how to heal myself completely, master. Teach me."

And that is what Obi-Wan did, for the next two hours.

--

Montu Kiljek startled awake from his deep meditation. He had felt pain. Extreme pain. He felt the presence of a Sith Lord. And he felt the familiar force signature of his old padawan.

"Tarra," he mouthed. Then he rose, grabbed his lightsaber, and sprinted out of the room.

--

"You _will_ let me have your starship," Montu Kiljek spoke, waving his hand out subtlely.

"... what, are you kidding me? _Give _you my starship? Just let you _have_ the _Millenium Falcon_? Heck no, the Falcon's mine," a boy who couldn't be much older than 14 responded.

Master Kiljek frowned. Either his Force powers were diminishing, or this boy's stubbornness was stronger than he thought. "Is she fast?"

"Only the fastest ship in the galaxy."

"I'll pay you 100 credits to fly me somewhere."

"100? Are you crazy? The fastest ship in the galaxy and you offer only 100? That's an insult, that is! 500!"

"500 is too much pay for a galaxy taxi, you know that."

"It's not a galaxy taxi! It's equipped with weapons to blast those bloody TIE fighters out of the sky!"

"200."

The boy was firm. "500."

"_200_," Montu said, waving his hand again.

The boy looked at Master Kiljek. "200 it is. C'mon, let's go."

The two clambered on board.

"So, my name is Han Solo. Where you headed?"

Montu frowned. "I'm not sure, actually."

Han's mouth opened, and it hung there, giving him a perfectly stupid appearance. "You don't _know_ where you want to go?"

Montu shook his head. "No, I'm afraid I don't." Han shook his head, and fired up the controls, muttering about crazy old men.

--

Anakin sat in his private quarters, in his private hyperbaric chamber. He had asked that nobody disturb him, and he sat quietly, his every fiber of his being focusing on his lungs. His breathing _would_ be healed.

He had done the same thing for months, and could slowly feel his progress. His lungs had become stronger, to the point that he could stride out of his hyperbaric chamber and walk around, seeing things on the _Executor_ with his own eyes for the first time since ... ever. As long as he did not over-exert himself, he could breathe fine. But if he ran, or trained, without his breathing mask, his lungs would be bombarded with a searing pain and he would stop breathing to stop the pain until he could return to his hyperbaric chamber and seal the room breathing pure oxygen again.

His eyes opened. Flicking a few switches, he depressurized the room strode out, his mask off, and all circuits on his suit turned off. He stubbornly strode into the training room, activated the blaster droids, and began training.

One minute passed. His breathing was fine, his vision unclouded. His heart was not racing as fast as it had been the day before.

Another minute passed, then another. Anakin, still without his mask, continued to swing his lightsaber in fluid motions, deflecting the blaster bolts the droids sent at him.

An hour later, Anakin raced from the training, back to his hyperbaric chamber, where he placed his mask back on, breathing in oxygen as his lungs seared with pain. Then he repressurized the room and removed the mask. He had always hated his mask.

He smiled. In a few days or so, he would have been able to have full use of his lungs. He closed his eyes, and focused once more, on the tissue in his lungs, slowly putting the alveoli back together.

--

A/N: END CHAPTER 7! I won't be able to update for awhile, as I'm going on a short vacation for the next week or so. Then school will start, and things will be pretty hectic. I will **_try_ **to continue updating throughout the school year. After all, I do need to procrastinate all day any – errr ... I meant _every now and then_. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	8. Revealing Truths

Chapter Eight

"Do you know where you want to go yet, old man? I'm getting impatient."

"That's not saying much."

"Just shut up and tell me where you want to go, " Han couldn't believe he had accepted this trip for only 200 credits. He had to be insane.

Montu Kiljek opened his eyes. "The faster I can concentrate, the quicker I will be able to locate my padawan. So you just ... stay quiet for awhile."

--

Anakin's lightsaber flashed left and right. He had been training for three hours now, and with no sign of pain in his chest. As he deflected bolts his mind began to wander, and his actions were no more than instinctive reactions to the blaster droids. He reached into the Force, and found Obi-Wan's signature. And ... no, it couldn't be ...

"Master Yoda?" he gasped in shock. While he was distracted a blaster bolt struck him on his left shoulder. He howled in pain as the bolt, set to medium voltage, rendered his arm useless – his entire left arm was now numb.

Anakin shook his head, and deactivated the blaster droids. He then decided to try something else. He tried to reach toward the Death Star. He tried to find Tarra's Force signature.

--

Tarra jolted awake. Something was wrong. She could feel it. She could sense something was not right. She reached for her lightsabers, but then relaxed her hands. It wasn't anything around her. It was ... _inside_ her.

_Tarra. Tarra, can you hear me?_ A familiar voice called out to her in her mind.

"An-Anakin?" she gasped in shock and horror. Quickly she put up her mental barriers, slamming Anakin Skywalker's presence out.

She sat on her bed, perfectly still, for a long time after that. So many questions reeled through her head. Why had Anakin tried to contact her? How could Anakin have been working for Palpatine? How could Palpatine _do_ that to all the Jedi? And why was she completely oblivious to all of this until now?

--

"We _must _help him, Master Yoda!"

"Help him we must not ... wait for young Luke we will."

"Anakin is powerful! And he's perfectly in position to –"

"Powerful, heh! Yes! He's powerful in the Dark Side! Told you he killed Imperial officers in cold blood, did he?"

Obi-Wan fell silent. There was no excuse to that. "Master," he blurted. "Anakin will always have part of the Dark Side in him! Qui-Gon once said –"

"If confront Palpatine Anakin does ... I fear return to the ways of the Sith, he will."

--

Anakin, with the help of his droids, shed the last pieces of his suit, and was dressed in his old Jedi clothes once more.

"I'm free. Finally, I'm free," he almost squealed in delight. He reached for his gloves with his black metallic left arm. His right arm was golden, and he flexed those fingers, watching the mechanisms. He placed his gloves on both arms, then looked at his black, metallic legs. The legs of Darth Vader.

He strode through the corridor, watching the astonishment of his men as they watched their lord Vader without his mechanical suit for the fist time. His blue eyes gazed at all of them, and he smiled warmly.

Yes, Anakin decided that being nice was better than ruling by fear. The past Vader could keep his men on schedule with sheer fear of losing their lives. Now, Anakin could encourage his men to work harder, giving monetary incentives and granting leaves to his troops, so they could return home every now and then.

Even better, Anakin could, every once in awhile, glare at his men, threaten to kill a couple, and inflict the old fear within his men. He had achieved the perfect balance of kindness and strictness.

Anakin had to admit, he was a bit harsh on his men when he first re-boarded the Executor. Those two officers had been good men, simply unsure of their alliegances. All the same, they had refused _his_ order. And they were punished. "They deserved it," he growled, trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

But that wasn't true, and he knew it.

Anakin smiled inwardly. Yoda had once said, "Once the path of the Dark Side you take, forever there you are," during Anakin's training.

"I guess that's true," he said, before he reached the bridge, his black cloak swishing behind him.

"Captain Ozzel, have the subordinating ships been recovered yet?" he spoke, referring to the Super Star Destroyer's small fleet, including two Star Destroyers and a few battle cruisers.

"Yes, sir. The _Executor_ and her entire fleet are under our control, sir."

"Of course the _Executor_ is under our control, please, captain, _think_ before you speak."

"Yes, sir. Oh, sir, I almost forgot, sir ... I found this astrodroid in the main cargo hold after we refueled at Hoth."

"Artoo!" Anakin grinned, "Good to have you back!"

Artoo toodled and beeped.

"What was that? Go to the Dagobah system? Why?"

Artoo whistled something that sounded distinctly like "Yoda"

"Master Yoda's there ... interesting. I _thought_ I sensed him earlier."

Anakin smiled, and turned to Captain Ozzel. "You have done well. Maintain present course. Prepare my ship. I trust you have taken good care of it during my absence."

Captain Ozzel nodded. "Yes, sir. At once, sir." He bowed before retreating from the room to carry out his orders.

"Oh, and captain?" Anakin spoke, causing the officer to stop short and turn around. "Get this droid in the ship to replace the other one," he said, jerking his head at Artoo-Detoo.

"Yes, sir."

--

The Emperor was angry. With many things, actually. For instance, how did the E_xecutor _and her entire fleet managed to simply disappear from his control station sensors. They couldn't have been destroyed – the Rebel fleet had nothing as powerful as that ship.

He was also displeased with his new apprentice. In the beginning she had learned well, and had done everything he had asked of her. Recently, however, she had become less respondent of his wishes. She hesitated. And the Emperor could not tolerate this.

He smiled, and allowed his anger to take over him. To let the Dark Side flow through his old bloodstream, energizing him, all eighty-plus years of his existence melting away – he had lost count at 84. His eyes burned with the need to inflict damage. To kill. To stop this Rebellion before it began to grow. And the anger in him wanted to completely crush the rebellion ... he wanted nothing more than to destroy ... to kill ...

The Emperor turned to an aide.

"Activate the ... _weapon_. Aim it at _that _planet."

The aide protested, "But your excellency, that planet is ..."

The Emperor snapped at his aide, "DO AS YOU ARE TOLD!" He then turned to the viewscreen of the Death Star.

"Yes sir."

Moments later, that viewscreen lit up with a green blast, which was followed by a huge explosion.

Palpatine smiled. It was good to be Emperor.

--

Montu Kiljek closed his eyes, searching for his former padawan's Force signature. She was in contact with a Sith Lord, and he knew it. Could it be Lord Sidious? He hoped she wasn't. He'd hate to find her dead.

"Are you gonna decide where to go yet, old man?"

Master Kiljek stood up, then activated his green lightsaber. "Don't," he warned, "try my patience. I've had enough of you and your complaints."

Young Han Solo glared at the Jedi Master, then sat at the cockpit seat, mumbling about who's patience was being tried.

Master Kiljek closed his eyes, and began to meditate once more.

The _Millenium Falcon_ floated, motionless, through endless space.

--

Anakin's modified Jedi starfighter streaked through the stars. "_That's_ the Dagobah system? _That's_ where the great Master Yoda lived for three years?" Artoo toodled. Anakin sighed and prepared his ship for landing. The planet was basically a giant ball of dense swamp.

--

Anakin hopped off his starfighter, and Artoo-Detoo launched himself, landing ungracefully in the mud, splattering mud all over itself. Anakin jumped backwards to avoid the drench, laughing.

Artoo whistled an angry tune.

"Glad to see you made it, Anakin. We were beginning to think you weren't coming," said a voice.

Anakin smiled. "Hello, Obi-Wan."

"Come in, we have much to discuss."

--

"Not ready for a strike, we are," Master Yoda intoned solemnly. "Wait, we must, for son of Skywalker."

Anakin frowned, turning to Obi-Wan. "You never did tell me where my son went."

"And your daughter."

"We had twins?"

"Padme had twins before she died. She named them 'Luke' and 'Leia'."

Anakin lowered his head, and said "_We_ named them," softly, remembering the night they had sat up in bed in the wee hours of the morning trying to name their children.

"_Ken?"_

"_No, too stiff. I want something that sounds ... brave, but ... kind."_

"_Well I'm out of ideas, maybe we could ..."_

"Anakin? Hello, Dagobah to Anakin ..."

Anakin snapped out of his trance. "Sorry," he mumbled. "So ... where is my son, and where's my daughter? And ..." he stopped himself.

"Your son's in Tatooine. I promise, your brother and sister in law are taking good care of him. I saw to that myself. As for your daughter ... Bail Organa took her under his wing. I'd expect she would be going to a top-flight school at the moment."

Anakin nodded slowly. "If my children survived ... then ... I didn't kill Padme in Mustafar ..."

Obi-Wan shook his head slowly. "You did kill her ... from a certain point of view ..." Noticing Anakin's confused look, he put an arm on his friend's shoulder. "Come, let's go inside. We have ... much to talk about."

Yoda chewed on his gimer stick, hmphed, then closed his eyes in deep meditation.

--

"First of all, Anakin, I should apologize to you ... on behalf of the entire Jedi Council."

"... or what's left of it."

Obi-Wan frowned. Anakin could be so dense sometimes. "Right. Anyway, we should not have left you on Coruscant ... we could have helped you alleviate your problems, and we didn't. We weren't good friends."

"Jedi aren't supposed to _have_ friends. They aren't supposed to have any attachments."

"Which is why I'm not as _perfect_ a Jedi as you thought I was."

Anakin looked up. _Obi-Wan Kenobi, the perfect Jedi, telling him that he **wasn't**_?

"I have attachments of my own. The Troll was a good friend of mine."

"Cin Drallig ... Obi-Wan, I'm sorry—"

"Don't be ... because _you_ are the attachment that I will never be able to rid myself of."

"You said that, in some fashion, on Mustafar," said Anakin, softly, "You said I was your brother. You said you loved me."

"And I wasn't lying. But that's not really what's important. I want to truly understand _why_ you fell to the Dark Side ... so I can help you ... as a friend."

"It's complicated. Things were so complicated. Everyone was pressuring me. The Jedi were ignoring me. They feared my powers!" At this, Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak, but Anakin rambled on, talking to himself more than to his former master. "And ... my dreams ... they haunted me ..."

"Dreams?"

"Nightmares. Like the ones of my mother I had told you about earlier. I dreamed of Padme dying. In childbirth."

Obi-Wan nodded. Everything seemed to tie together.

"And ... I was stuck between the Chancellor and the Jedi Council ... the Council never trusted me ... they never had faith in me ... but the Chancellor was kind. He was ... a _friend_. The only one I had in those days."

Obi-Wan was hurt by those words. "What about –"

"What about you, I know. You were on Utapau, busy killing General Grievous. And I was alone. You can't imagine how grateful I was to have the Chancellor seem to understand me. He was my friend. He gave me whatever I wanted.

"Then I found out he was a Sith Lord ... and he told me had had the power to stop death ... you don't understand, because ..." Anakin broke off. "Padme was my _life_. I couldn't lose her. Even after three years ... I still can't ..."

Obi-Wan remained silent, sadly listening to Anakin's tale of his fall. To be his friend's lighthouse in a storm. To be a _friend_.

"In the end, it was between the Jedi ... and Palpatine and Padme on the other hand ... the two people I loved most in the world, next to you. And ... I realize now that they were lies ... but Palpatine told me that you were corrupt as well ..."

"I can see _that_, you tried to kill me a few years back."

Anakin looked at his former master with blue eyes full of remorse, full of regret. "And so ... I chose the way of the Sith ... and in doing so ... I killed ... I killed ..." he couldn't get the words out. He wasn't worthy of speaking her name.

"You killed Padme, the one you had fought to save. Anakin ... Anakin ... why didn't you _tell_ the Council? We could have helped you."

"Because I would have been expelled from the Order! You don't understand! Being a Jedi was important to me! It was the toughest decision I had to make ... to betray the Jedi and to become a Sith. Believe me, I never _wanted_ to be Darth Vader ... I wanted to learn how to save Padme ... and if that meant killing Jedi ... so be it."

Obi-Wan nodded once again, finally understanding the full weight of what Anakin Skywalker had felt throughout the Clone Wars. His inner struggle. He realized, now, that the Anakin Skywalker he had known for years ... did not have a shatterpoint.

He _was_ the shatterpoint. Every second he lived he was in danger of choosing the wrong path.

Anakin's eyes drifted to the floor, then snapped back, focusing on Obi-Wan's face. "I want to have my children back with me. I want _Padme's_ children with me."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes ... yes, that would be good for you."

"No." A voice spoke. "See young Luke, you will not."

Yoda walked slowly into the room. "See Luke, you cannot ... "

Anakin was furious. "Why not?" he exploded. "Is it a crime to see my own son?"

"Our last chance he will be, if you fail."

"I'm the **Chosen One**!"

"No difference, that makes. Let go of your son, you must. See your daughter, on Alderaan, I will allow."

Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Calm down, Anakin. You're going to see your daughter."

Anakin was close to tears. "My ... my son ... I will never ...?"

"If you defeat Palpatine, you can do whatever you want. But now ... there's too much of a risk. You have to understand."

Anakin reached into the Force, tried to calm himself.

"C'mon," he said after a few moments, to Obi-Wan. "We have a ship to catch."

Obi-Wan grinned, then turned to Yoda. "You coming?"

Yoda shook his head. "Wait I will for young Skywalker."

--

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys! Keep reviewing ... you're awesome. Will probably post responses to reviews soon.


	9. Heartfelt Murder

CHAPTER 9

--

"Tell me again, old man, why are we going to Alderaan? I'm beginning to think I charged you too little for this."

"Yes, of course you did. For the twentieth time, Han, we're going because the Force wills me to go there."

"What's all this about this 'Force'?"

"Do be quiet, boy, and concentrate on what you _do_ know. Granted, that's not much, but..."

Han flushed, and looked as if he wanted nothing better than to throw the Jedi Master off his ship ... but of course, he couldn't do that. All he could do was to sit and watch as the stars elongated.

--

Anakin Skywalker prepared to land on the lush planet of Alderaan. "Obi-Wan, prepare landing sequence."

"I'm way ahead of you."

As the two fighters slowly made their way to the landing platforms, Anakin's mind was reeling. _I'm going to see my daughter. I'm going to see Leia._ He was overcome with emotion, and as his hands flew over the controls, he knew that if any of his fingers were made of flesh rather than metal and circuits, they would be trembling uncontrollably. For once he was glad to have mechanical limbs – landing would prove to be difficult if his fingers weren't cooperating.

He stepped out of his fighter. He didn't even know it. He walked mechanically toward a small shuttle that would take him to the center of the city.

_I'm going to see Leia_.

His mind only thought about what his daughter would look like. Would she look like Padme? Yes ... he hoped she would look like Padme.

"Stop, right there ... Skywalker."

--

Anakin almost missed it. But when the word "Skywalker" sounded, he looked up, his mind detached from his daughter.

And stared into the face of Montu Kiljek.

Behind him he heard Obi-Wan run up, greeting the Jedi Master.

"You may dispense with the pleasantries, Obi-Wan. Where is my apprentice? Where is Tarra? I _know _she's alive," he growled, emphasizing the last sentence.

Obi-Wan's expression darkened. "She's ... a sith," he said quietly.

"No ... no, that's not true! That's ... that's _impossible_!" Master Kiljek ignited his lightsaber. "You _liar_! You and Skywalker _both!_"

"Master Kiljek," Anakin began, but Montu was behind words. He raised his lightsaber to the battle-ready stance of a Korun fighting style.

"Montu, calm yourself!" Obi-Wan said, alarmed at this turn of events. "You're a _Jedi_, stop! You can't do this!"

Eyes narrowed, "Can't I?" and Anakin understood. Montu Kiljek was clearly falling. Falling to the Dark Side.

_What have I done?_ He thought silently, then spoke quietly. "Fear anger, and aggression, Kiljek, for lead to the dark side, they do."

The blade faltered, then resumed it's previous stance.

"Your old padawan is alive. That's all you need to know."

That was the final string for Montu Kiljek. He snapped, charging like an untamed reek, swinging his lightsaber at Anakin's head.

--

"Y'know, for such an experienced person, Anakin," Obi-Wan said as he blocked blows, "you're not much of a negotiator."

"You were always the negotiator, why couldn't _you_ think of anything," Anakin said, gritting his teeth as he tried to swing at Montu Kiljek.

"I _would_ have, had you not butted in."

"So sorry," was the sarcastic reply.

--

This was the final battle of Montu Kiljek, Jedi Master.

He knew he was dead before he began this fight. To begin a duel with Anakin Skywalker was a big risk. To begin a duel with the man who _trained_ Anakin Skywalker in combat was another risk. To begin a duel with _both_ of them was suicide.

Still, he thought, it was simple enough, thus far. His strength was his speed. He could deal several blows before his opponents, even Force users, could react. He was rather weak from a physical standpoint, and his Force powers could not hope to rival those of Skywalker and Kenobi's. So he ran circles around the pair of Jedi that he confronted.

A quick force shove sent Kenobi flying backwards. Before Kiljek could even smirk at the efficiency of his attack, Skywalker was all over him, blade whirling so fast that even he, the _master_ of speed, could only barely turn the blades away.

He backed up, only to find _another_ blue blade slamming down to the ground where he could have been, if he had not reached into the Force and performed a dodging move to elude the two Jedi.

"Master Kenobi ... your powers are weak ..." he snarled.

Obi-Wan merely smiled. "This is your last chance," he said. "Surrender, or die."

But Montu Kiljek didn't have anything left to live for. The Jedi Order was, for all intents and purposes, destroyed. His old padawan was, if he was to believe the two Jedi, a Sith Lady. And he felt that the two Jedi were not lying to him.

He had already let himself go, long ago, and seeked death. He lifted his blade, and beckoned the two Jedi to put him out of his misery.

--

Obi-Wan was perplexed. This ... _Jedi_ was obviously asking for death. That was breaking the first rule of being a Jedi – survival. He glanced at Anakin Skywalker, who had already lunged with his blue blade of plasma swinging, and shrugged. He supposed the rest of the Jedi, when faced against Anakin Skywalker, didn't break that rule, and ended up in the same manner as what faced Montu Kiljek.

Bringing his lightsaber in a defensive stance, he advanced slowly, watching Anakin fight the Jedi Master. He never thought he would have to see his former padawan fighting a Jedi. And he definitely did not foresee _himself_ fighting on Anakin's side _against _the Jedi. It was preposterous.

--

Montu Kiljek gave up. He released his anger toward the young Jedi Skywalker, and although his blade swung subconsciously, through the will of the Force, he had already let go. Let go of life. Let go of his anger. Let go of being a Jedi. Let go of ...

... everything.

"Anakin," he spoke, while blocking a particularly powerful overhand chop.

Anakin was taken aback – it was the first time the Master had called him by his first name.

"Anakin, I'm sorry."

_Sorry?_ That didn't register in Anakin's mind. But Montu Kiljek's next move was even more confusing – he attacked. _Didn't he JUST apologize for fighting me? What is he doing?_

His mind was a whirl of questions, but he kept them away from his as he parried. Montu Kiljek's face was calm, serene ... and then the dragon within the Jedi Master roared.

He blocked left, spun right, did an overhand slash, then retracted his blade, stepping back. Montu, gripping his green blade, sprung forward. Anakin dodged the next attack, then slashed hard.

Taking Montu Kiljek's right arm with his blade, searing it off near the elbow.

In an instant, his lightsaber was at the older man's throat.

_Kill me._

Anakin watched as the older man stood before him, grasping his right arm in pain. He watched as the old man's sad face revealed two deep brown eyes that burned with an empty fury.

_Kill me, if you dare._ The eyes spoke to him.

"Anakin, don't do this!" Obi-Wan had hurried forward. "You can't just –"

Anakin then fed Montu Kiljek half a meter of blue plasma, straight through his chest. Obi-Wan stopped his approach, stunned, as the old Jedi tumbled gracefully to the ground. He looked at Anakin, perplexed.

--

Anakin blinked.

_Once again, you had committed murder._

_In cold blood._

Beside you, Obi-Wan looks at you with shock and horror. And you scream in pain and you cry out in horror at what you had done, and you realize that the choice you made could never be undone.

_He asked you to kill him. You fulfilled his wishes_, a little voice speaks in the back of your mind. But you know that no matter how much you wish it to be false, you killed him. And you don't even know why.

In the end, you don't even want to.

Because the more you think about it, the more pain you feel. And you can't take more pain, not at the moment.

Because Padme's choking gasps are looming back in your mind. Shmi Skywalker's gentle murmur "My Ani," returns to your consciousness. The younglings in the Jedi Temple. Cin Drallig. Yourself. You watch as flames lick your back, crawling up your body.

You scream again and try to get these thoughts out of your head, but you know that they will forever stay with you. Your past actions will forever dominate your future. You look sadly on the headless body of what used to be Montu Kiljek.

Then one word pops into your consciousness, and calms yourself. Gone is your smoldering robes and smoking body. Gone are the memories of stabbing Neimodians. Gone is the vision of Obi-Wan crying out at you while you grab desperately on a bed of sand.

_Leia_.

In the darkness, you find a source of light. Your daughter ... and your son, whom you may never see. The innocence of it all touches you, and ends your fit of anger and pain.

You look up at Obi-Wan, your friend. In his eyes you expect to see anger, frustration at his apparent inability to rid himself of the darkness.

But you find only sorrow. As if he understands. As if he is feeling everything you feel. But of course he cannot. He is a Jedi, as pure of one as is possible.

You smile at your friend. Yes, he is a true friend. _Then again, so was Palpatine,_ you think.

But no. Obi-Wan is good. He's a Jedi. And being a Jedi, he cares about you. Palpatine was a Sith, and he only cared about himself. Obi-Wan ... Obi-Wan was _good_. There's no other way to describe it. His eyes, they show his true feelings. And they aren't shifty, as Palpatines were. They aren't menacing, as Sidious' were. They generated only kindness.

And you are at peace.

--

Slowly, very slowly, Anakin's outward senses returned to him. He opened his mouth, and croaked out, "Obi-Wan ..."

Obi-Wan gazed at his former padawan.

"I ... I shouldn't have done that."

"You can't undo it now ... he has passed on into the Force."

Anakin nodded. "Now ... can I ... see my daughter?"

Obi-Wan nodded solemnly.

_I have a bad feeling about this_, he thought. _Like it or not, Anakin Skywalker will always be part Sith_.

--

A/N: Chapter 9 up. I plan for there to be a few more duels in this fic. They're just so exhilarating to write, lol. Keep reviewing, I'm open to suggestions!


	10. Showdown in Space

CHAPTER 10

--

Han Solo kicked a box aboard the Millenium Falcon. _Stupid, stupid, Han. Why'd you offer to take **this** guy halfway across the galaxy? Look what he's done? He's gone and left you without telling you where he went. And now you've **still **got no money and barely any gas._

The young pilot turned from his ship, and, pausing only to grab a blaster pistol from a drawer, strode off his beloved ship and towards where had last seen his client.

--

5-year-old Leia Organa had no idea who the two men standing before her were. A tall and handsome man, save for a nasty gash on his left cheek, and a slightly shorter bearded man. Both were robed. But in the little voice that she possessed, she spoke confidently, "May I help you?"

"Leia?" The taller man's face looked in awe at her. Then that face split into a wide grin. "Leia!"

"Who are you?"

The man feigned hurt, then grinned brightly, turning to his friend, "She's already brilliant. Senator Organa has raised her well for me." Then he turned to Leia, still grinning. "Leia, young one ... I am your father."

Something in Leia's chest dropped, and her knees buckled. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Her father couldn't have not been with her for the past five years. Her father was Senator Bail Organa, representative of Alderaan.

But it _was_ true. It had to be. It _felt_ right. Her intuition told her that the man was not lying.

"What's your name?" she inquired.

The man fought back a laugh. "I'm Anakin. Anakin Skywalker."

"Oh. I read about you."

"Did you?" Anakin's face was smug. "I guess I'm a superstar now, huh, Obi-Wan?"

"Calm yourself," the older man said quietly.

"Yes, master."

The older man turned to Leia. "Leia, where is Senator Organa?"

Somehow, for some reason, Leia trusted the men standing before her. Turning, yet never taking her eyes off the two men, she called out, "Dad!"

--

"Master Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan looked up, grinning at the Senator. "It is so good to see you again. And ... Anakin Skywalker?"

Anakin nodded curtly. There was no need to speak.

"I ... I thought you died."

"I did ... from a certain point of view."

The Senator was confused, but did not press the point.

"Can I ..."

Bail Organa nodded. He knew that even if he resisted, he wouldn't be able to keep Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One of the Force, away from his child.

--

For the next two weeks, Anakin was at peace. He played and talked with Leia everyday, helping her with her lessons, and in general, having a lovely father-daughter time with her.

It was this time, then, when the beginning of the end began.

--

Han Solo walked tentatively to the Senator's home. Raising a shaking hand, he knocked.

The door opened, and a golden droid poked his head out.

"Hello, I am See-Threepio .. I am ..."

"My ship is out of fuel ... I need some credits and fuel to last me until my next stop ... I need to see Senator Organa... could you –" Han Solo froze. "Anakin Skywalker?"

"Force, you _are_ a celebrity."

Han's eyes were as big as dinner plates. "Master Kenobi? Master Skywalker? S-such an honor to ..."

Obi-Wan Kenobi looked around hastily, then ushered the boy in. "Are you trying to get us shot? Jedi are enemies of the empire!"

"S-sorry, sir ..." Han paused to offer an apology, then continued to oggle at the two Jedi.

Suddenly, a comlink buzzed. Anakin rushed to it, and pressed it. "Captain Ozzle?"

"Sir ... the Death Star is within range!"

"What?" Anakin could not hide his surprise.

"Yes, it appears that they are heading on course straight ... to the planet of Alderaan, sir. What are your orders, sir?"

Anakin's eyes were wide with fear. "He's here ..." he turned a frightened eye to Obi-Wan, who instantly understood. Anakin Skywalker would go through hell and back again to keep his daughter away from the clutches of the emperor. His life was secondary to his daughter's.

Anakin turned back to Captain Ozzle. "Stand by, remain under the cloaking shadow. I will join you shortly. I am _on_ planet."

"You're on Alderaan, sir?" there was an obvious edge in Captain Ozzle's voice.

"Yes. How long until the Death Star is within striking distance of Alderaan?"

Bail Organa, who had decided to come down the stairs at this time, had to interrupt. "Death Star? Why would the Emperor attack Alderaan? We are ..."

"In times like these, when the Empire is breaking apart, the Emperor feels the need to destroy a few things here and there to demonstrate his power."

Captain Ozzle's hologram spoke. "He has perfected a new laser weapon, which can and will instantly destroy the entire planet within a minute. You don't have much time, the Death Star will reach planet in less than ten minutes, at best.

"Sithspawn ..." Obi-Wan breathed.

Anakin turned to the frightened young teenager. "You have a ship, you say, boy?"

"Yes, sir. The Millenium Falcon, at your service, sir."

"Good. Take me to her. First, Senator, you should alert the people to evacuate the planet immediately."

--

"People of Alderaan, this is Bail Organa. The Empire is coming down upon Alderaan with a giant weapon. This is an emergency, all citizens are urged to head to shuttle transports immediately. Follow emergency procedure. I repeat, evacuate the planet. Head to shuttle transports immediately!"

The message blared throughout the planet. The entire system was in chaos, and left people wondering just how loyal the empire was to them.

Screams could be heard from the apartment complex, but Bail Organa tried to disregard the pain of his citizens. He had more important business to attend to ...

... like his life, for instance.

Senator Organa wondered if he was fit to be a senator, saving his own life before his people. He consoled himself by saying that there wasn't enough time to save his people now.

--

"Hurry!" Han Solo yelled, fear evident in his voice. Obi-Wan clambered aboard the ship, and Artoo-Detoo wheeled his way in just as the doors closed, and Han Solo began to pilot the _Millenium Falcon_ away from the doomed planet.

--

"Hey, the planet didn't blow up! We're gone! We're safe!" Han Solo whooped.

Obi-Wan frowned, concentrating, and shook his head. "No ... something isn't right ... it's like we're not ..."

Anakin cut in, "I feel it too ..." then was a whirl of motion. He spun quickly, screaming at Han Solo. "Turn right! _Hard right!_ Or we'll all be toast!"

"Wha ..." Han Solo began to argue, but Anakin Skywalker was already moving, shoving poor Han onto the ground, taking the pilot's seat. Pressing frantically at the controls, Anakin sent the _Millenium Falcon_ in a wild spin, turning it hastily away from their current course.

Not a second later, a green laser beam, probably the size of a large cruiser in diameter, burst through the sky, barely missing the spinning cargo ship, and slamming into the ground. Explosions sounded all around the ship.

Han Solo was grabbing onto a handhold on the side wall to keep from crashing around his own ship, his mouth somewhat slack, shocked by how close to death he had just been.

"Next time I tell you to do something, you do it." Anakin growled as he struggled with the controls, managing to steady the craft as it burst through atmosphere, or what was left of it, and into the vast space, dodging debris and rock.

Han Solo managed a whimper and his eyes whirled, resting finally on the fuel gauge, which was now completely pointed to "Empty". "Well," he commented. "We're basically dead weight. Out here in space."

_Oh ... oh this is bad_, Obi-Wan thought to himself. Suddenly Anakin cursed.

"I'm sorry?"

Anakin cursed again, then pointed out the forward viewscreen. "That ..." he croaked. "Oh ..." Anakin cursed _again_, then said grimly, "We're being pulled in by a tractor beam."

"A tractor beam?"

"Another one of the 'Secret Empire Projects'," Anakin explained. "Increases the power of gravity, which draws you in. Resistance to the beam is futile."

"Especially since we have no fuel," Han shot out.

Anakin narrowed his eyes. This Han Solo was being irritable. So, _captain_, do you have anywhere we can stay hidden?"

Han's eyes lit up. "Yeah. Yeah. The smuggling compartment. Follow me."

Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged glances. They weren't going to ask about the smuggling compartment just yet. Leia, R2, and threepio followed.

--

"Daddy, are you sure they won't find us?" Leia's small voice said.

"Yes, I'm sure. Threepio isn't stupid."

For outside of their little compartment, See-threepio and his companion Artoo-detoo stood in the cockpit. Four stormtroopers burst in the room. "Everyone put your hands up! Surrender and die!"

Threepio instantly put his hands up, R2 had no hands to put up anyway.

"Excuse me, sir, but don't you mean "surrender _or_ die"?" (A/N: Took that off Jak II, I don't own that line either)

The guns swivelled around and pointed at the golden droid.

"Oh dear," said C-3PO.

"Are the two of you the only ones here?"

"Yes, sir."

"_You _fan pilot a cargo ship?"

"Ah .. yes, sir. Oh, no Artoo, I hope we don't get in too much trouble!"

R2-D2 whistled something distinctly like "Shut up and stick to the plan."

"How rude!"

"What is your purpose of this voyage!"

"We had to get off of Alderaan, sir, since His Majesty decided to destroy it. We grabbed a spare ship and took off."

The lead stormtrooper looked at his men. "You two, take these droids into Cell 4-A." The two men hurried off, grabbing the two droids, emitting a loud "No! Wait!" from C-3PO.

The lead officer turned back to the remaining trooper "You, do a standard search of the –"

He never finished, as a blade of blue plasma sliced through his helmet. The other trooper was similarly dispatched.

"Quick, Obi-Wan, let's get these into the main cargo hold." When the job was completed Anakin and Obi-Wan pulled their hoods up, then strode off the ship, Obi-Wan to try and deactivate the tractor beam, and Anakin to save his droids. Artoo he wasn't too worried about, but Threepio ...

Anakin broke into a run.

--

Obi-Wan cautiously walked along the catwalk, when the alarm went off. "JEDI IN CORRIDOR 3" The alarm blared.

Obi-Wan grumbled and pulled out his lightsaber. "Anakin what did you _do_?"

--

Anakin hadn't meant to do it, he really hadn't. But when he caught up with the two guards escorting his droids to their cell, he recklessly brought his lightsaber crashing down on both helmets, instantly killing the two men. "Go back to the ship," he ordered his droids, before bringing his lightsaber in a defensive position. He couldn't let the troopers know he was affiliated with the droids, or he would have placed his daughter in danger.

The troopers arrived, and the battle was on. Anakin's blade turned back blaster bolt after blaster bolt, decimating scores of Storm troopers ... but they kept coming. Anakin knew he would have to buy some time.

--

Obi-Wan walked slowly, then, using the Force, he opened a panel halfway across the room. Letting the Force guide him, he flicked a few switches, and the tractor beam, he knew, was disabled. Sighing, he turned to move when he felt a dark presence enter the room.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi ... I was wondering when you would try to face me again."

It was Darth Petra, clad in her dark robes and armor, her jet black hair enhanced by the twin sith blades she held. Her thin attractive figure did a few cartwheels until she stood 10 meters away from the Jedi Master.

"Darth Petra ..." Obi-Wan said, the uncertainty in his voice. The sith lady's power, he sensed, was considerable. It would not be easy to best her in single combat.

Just as he thought that, a blue blade appeared on the high ceiling, carving a small, makeshift circle at an unbelievable speed. The large metal floor hit the ground on the lower level with a loud CLANG, yet nobody had come down. Obi-Wan looked up and had to stifle a laugh. Anakin's lower body dangled from the ceiling, his legs kicking furiously. Finally, after a moment of struggle, the rest of Anakin popped free of his self-made trap, and dumped the Chosen one unceremoniously on the ground. If Anakin hadn't been able to use a Force push to cushion his fall, he may have very well broken his tailbone.

"You're just in time Anakin, I was just about to –" Obi-Wan began, but was cut off by blaster bolts. He began to deflect them, until Darth Petra called out "Hold your fire! _I_ will deal with them myself!"

The stormtroopers were silent, and they backed, continuing their routine patrols.

"Now," Darth Petra smiled. "Where were we?" Igniting her twin sabers, she said, "Oh, yes, I believe I was about to kill you."

Two bars of azure light shot out from the two men she faced.

"We do it together, just as we did against Dooku," Obi-Wan said.

"I still ended up fighting Dooku myself," Anakin replied, a grin on his face.

"Oh, very well. But let's do it together this time." Obi-Wan held his blade at his chest, angling it straight forward. Anakin brought his lightsaber cocked high at his head, angling downward in the Djem So ready stance.

Darth Petra got in fighting position as well, her blades and arms working together to form an 'S' shape angled diagonally.

Then she exploded into motion.

Tarra Havanis was a warrior of the Ataro form, performing leaps and jumps that, coupled with her twin blades, allowed her to become a whirlwind of destruction. Working her two lightsabers in perfect unison, she handled Anakin Skywalker with one hand, and Obi-Wan in the other, jumping over their heads to keep them off their guard.

"Really, Jedi, this is too easy."

Obi-Wan only gave her a knowing smile. "Really? Well I guess we'll have to raise the odds."

He dashed to the right so quickly Darth Petra barely saw him. As she turned to locate the Jedi master, the Force told her in her subconscious that a blade was stabbing where Obi-Wan had stood less than a second ago. Leaping back desperately, she barely avoided the tip of the blue blade.

Anakin pressed on the attack, fully immersed into the battle, his furnace heart doling out his energy in controlled bursts. He consistently drove Darth Petra into corners, and only with desperate whirls was she able to get out from a certain death situation.

Darth Petra blocked high, and stabbed straight ahead. Anakin Skywalker leaped over her blade and her head, and suddenly Darth Petra found herself in a narrow corridor with two Jedi pressing the attack on both sides.

She suddenly had a horribly _bad feeling_ about this ...

Working her blades as quick as she possibly could, spinning, and whirling, she managed to extricate herself from the horrible situation, and now, with two blades flashing, managed to hold off an attacking Obi-Wan Kenobi as she gave ground, retreating along the corridor.

--

"Artoo! You made it!" Leia cried.

A stormtrooper jerked his head in the _Millenium Falcon's _direction. He was certain he had heard something. He turned on his comlink. "I've got something on the captured ship in Hangar Bay 17. Going to investigate now."

--

Han Solo had grabbed Leia's mouth and held it shut, but he knew it was too late. They had been found out – the stupid kid wanted to get out of the compartment, and was sure they were safe but ... guess not. "Here, take this," he said, giving a small blaster pistol to Leia. Leia fingered the weapon. "How does it work?"

"Just watch me, and copy."

The two young ones ducked behind a corner, and when the Storm trooper turned to walk down the corridor, Han darted out from his hiding place and fired three quick bursts at the trooper. Unfortunately for Han, the trooper managed to duck out of sight, and called on his comlink, "There is someone here. He's armed, I need backup."

Han looked at Leia grimly. He had a _bad_ feeling about this ...

--

Darth Petra had run out of places to back up into. She felt through the Force and felt a solid wall behind her. Still fending off Obi-Wan's pressing, calculated, surprisingly _simple_ yet so difficult to defend against, attack, she realized it was no wall. It was a door.

The door to the Emperor's room. So the Force had led her to her master. He would take care of these pests.

The door opened, and Petra leaped high in the air, deactivated her lightsabers, and landed catlike beside her master.

Darth Sidious stood, rising from his throne, glared at the two Jedi, sensing their confidence, and their pride, and he laughed. A long, cold laugh that sent chills down Obi-Wan's spine and had Anakin rolling his eyes, as if merely bored.

"There is a disturbance in the Force, Lord Vader ... did I not warn you about danger? On Mustafar?"

Anakin growled. _Why did he have to bring THAT up now?_ He gripped his lightsaber tighter, raising in a defensive stance.

"You hate me, don't you? Good ... your hate makes you powerful ... join me again, and I will forgive you."

Obi-Wan stepped forward, "Anakin, don't. We have to wait until the best opportunity."

Eyes of pure malice shifted from Anakin to his former mentor. "Your presence, Kenobi, is becoming _very_ annoying." With that he raised his hands and sent a torrent of lightning at the Jedi Master, who lifted his blade and blocked the blast.

Anakin was furious. "No!" he screamed, and, roaring, leapt at the Emperor, who merely smiled, as the tip of the blade sliced through the air, screaming for his head.

Two red sith blades stopped Anakin's killer blow in a shower of sparks.

Anakin's eyes glared at Darth Petra. "I don't want to fight you... don't make me _destroy_ you ..." he growled menacingly.

Darth Petra returned his glare, lifted her blades, and beckoned.

Anakin, like a raging reek, charged forward, blade flashing. Petra backed up, keeping Anakin occupied and away from her master. She leaped backwards into another room, larger than the throne room, and devoid of obstacles, in case Anakin would force her into a corner again.

But she did not know that, away from his master, Anakin Skywalker revealed his true power. His power that had been enclosed by an fragile glass fist of Jedi training.

Anakin Skywalker was a manifestation of fury. The fury had burned through the walls of his training, and leaked out. With nothing to hold him back, Anakin Skywalker was ...

... invincible.

Darth Petra knew at once she had made a mistake. Parrying madly, she whirled around the room, desperately trying to get away from the obviously infuriated Chosen One. Anakin was a wall, none of her strikes were getting through.

And Anakin Skywalker was fighting _with one hand_.

Just as Darth Petra realized, in this blazing moment, that Anakin Skywalker was truly the most powerful Jedi ever to have lived, Anakin placed his other hand on his blade as well.

That spelled doom.

If that was possible, Anakin's blade whirled even faster than before, and in one graceful move, the hilt of her lightsaber was sliced, rendering it useless.

Darth Petra gripped her remaining Sith blade. _Not good, not good_, she repeated in her head.

--

Darth Sidious' voice rang out in the nearly empty throne room. "For too long, Kenobi, have you interfered with my plans. Now ... you will feel the power of the _dark side_." The Sith Lord ignited his crimson lightsaber.

Obi-Wan was completely drained. The fight against Darth Petra, he realized that now that was a ploy to tire him, to weaken him, during _this_ fight. He wasn't strong enough to defeat the Sith Lord alone.

"_Strong enough to face Sidious alone you will never be. Die you will, and painfully."_ Master Yoda's voice rang out in his head. Then he raised his lightsaber, and delivered the first blow. A feint, a stab, then a backstep. The first blows of the two masters, leaving neither opponent injured.

Again the two Masters' blades dances, and impeccable footwork mirrored the opponents, almost as if the entire fight was choreographed by some brilliant artist.

One misstep ...

Obi-Wan's blade flashed right, then swung around in an overhand chop, only to find that he had miscalculated, and Sidious had sidestepped. One massive shove of the Force caught Obi-Wan completely unaware, and he fell to the ground, skidding. Slowly he picked himself up ...

... and was hit with another burst of Sith Lightning. Without his lightsaber to defend himself, Obi-Wan felt the full power of the Dark Lord. The Jedi Master screamed, certain this was the end for him.

--

Anakin felt the pain his friend was feeling, and intensified his attack. The Sith Lady's blade just couldn't parry quickly enough, and most of her blocks simply hit nothing but air. Before she knew in, the Chosen one had spun around in a full circle and stabbed out. She threw herself to the side, and instead of a hole in her chest, she had a gash across her abdomen. She staggered in pain, and Anakin pulled his left hand, and sent a massive Force push to send the Sith Lady flying out of the room, hitting the wall of the throne room, and slumping down, fighting to stay conscious.

--

The Emperor sensed Anakin's presence enter the room. "Good ... Lord Vader, you have done well ... now kill her, and retake your place by my side. It is the only way ... to save your friend," he said, motioning at the heavily breathing Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Darth Petra had heard. _Kill me?_ She thought blankly. What exactly was her master's plan? What was going on? But even as she asked these questions, she knew she could answer it herself.

Treachery was the way of the Sith.

"No. I won't. I won't join you."

Darth Petra, from that moment, died, reverting only to a portion of Tarra Havanis' consciousness. The Jedi, who she had _deliberately_ set up to kill, was granting her _mercy_.

"Very well then," The Emperor's face had become ugly. "You will watch your friend die." He once again sent a surge of lighting into Obi-Wan's already weakened form.

The Emperor cackled as he intensified his lightning strike. This was the end. The end of the last human Jedi Master, and the final show of force that would have Darth Vader by his side forever.

Then he felt his throat tightening. He couldn't breathe. He looked to his right, and saw Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, his right mechanical hand gripping his lightsaber, his left mechanical hand outstretched and forming a fist.

Darth Sidious released Obi-Wan Kenobi, who fell gracefully back onto the ground, unconscious. He had no choice. He reached into his vast reservoirs of dark energy and focused every ounce of his willpower, into a massive shockwave, that sent The Chosen One stumbling backwards, and releasing his death grip on the Emperor.

The Emperor stood, activating his red Sith lightsaber. Anakin's blue blade met his in midair, and the two began a battle of willpower. Not just good versus evil. Not just The Light versus the Dark. This was Anakin Skywalker versus Emperor Palpatine. This ... was personal.

Anakin whirled around, meeting Palpatine's lightsaber with his own. Crackles and snaps emitted as the two lightsabers struggled to push the other back. Anakin kicked out, hitting Sidious hard in the ribs, spun around and prepared the final slash when ...

... suddenly his blade was gone.

He found it skidding next to Obi-Wan's limp form. _What?_ He thought.

Sidious did not waste any time. He sent a massive shock through the Force, hitting Anakin with the full might of the Dark Side.

... and it stopped, as quickly as it had started.

Anakin blinked. He looked up, and saw Tarra's lightsaber sailing through the air, the Emperor having been forced to dodge the lightsaber, disengaging his attempt to shock Anakin in the process.

Anakin smiled gratefully at Tarra, who slumped back down on the ground. Then he reached into his robes, and pulled out ...

... his Sith blade. Darth Vader's prized weapon.

He activated the blade, watching as the crimson light extended from its temporary hibernation.

Halfway across the room, Another bar of red light mirrored his own.

This was the Chosen One against the Sith Lord.

Justice against Evil.

Winner take all.

--

A/N: Cliffhanger, LOL. I'll leave it up to you guys to try to figure out what will happen to Anakin, Obi-Wan, Tarra, and Sidious. Read and Review!


	11. Escape from the Death Star

Chapter 11 (editted: some problems found, corrected 9/10)

First of all, review responses – not much, but there's been a couple people who've reviewed and I feel I need to give them some credit –

**Hieiko – **thanks for the numerous reviews – this is my 2nd fic, so I can't say I'm an expert writer, so some things may seem wrong (hence, killing the Imperials) but I really wanted to show Anakin's struggle between light and dark.

**Darth mojo the spork** – LOL love your username. Thanks for the happy review, made me feel competent ) And yes, Anakin will win ... at least ... for the time being. Sorry if that spoiled the story for you, but you wanted to know ...

**Kal's Gal **– will do.

**MissNaye** – thanks. It's nice to know my story is considered "kickass". I think that's the best description you can give to a star wars story. That's what Jedi and Sith are supposed to do, isn't it?

So without further ado ... chapter 11.

--

Leia was scared.

"Take cover, Your Worship! I'm gonna see if I can distract them for awhile," Han said as he darted to the third corridor. "Your Worship" was the name Han had started calling her.

Leia obliged, slowly sinking her head between her legs, shaking.

--

"Artoo, are you certain you know what you're doing?" C-3PO's voice cried out.

And no, the astrodroid had to admit, he didn't. But he knew that the _Millenium Falcon_ had no fuel, and that he had to somehow get fuel into the ship, if it was to get away at all. Slowly he inserted his probe into a computer panel. A few moments later, he had engaged the fueling process.

"Help me with this thing," spoke Artoo in his series of beeps and whistles. C-3PO, muttering incoherently under his breath, reluctantly grabbed the large fuel pipe and, with Artoo, began to move it towards the ship.

Fuel spilled out of the pipe, spraying all over the ground.

"Bad idea! Bad idea! Master Bail just had me polished!" C-3PO wailed.

--

Darth Sidious scowled under his hood. Trying to re-turn Anakin to the dark side was more trouble than it was worth.

He decided the time for diplomacy had ended.

Now was the time to kill.

"You will die, today, now, by my hand, Skywalker," he hissed.

Anakin nodded, then noticed Obi-Wan had shakily stood up, and suddenly felt a spasm of fear. Leia, his daughter, was in pain. She was also frightened and terrified. Half of him wanted to go back and help her, but the rest of him knew that he had a duty to perform. He had to fulfill the prophecy, now and for all. "Obi-Wan" he called desperately. "You need to go back to them. They need help."

Obi-Wan looked at his friend, then glanced at the Sith Lord before him. "May the Force be with you," he said. Those were the only words he could think of. How eloquent.

"And with you." At this final exchange of words Obi-Wan turned and strode swiftly, ignoring the fear in his heart, ignoring the aches and pains caused by the lightning attack.

The door was slammed shut behind him.

--

Anakin shut all doors into the throne room, then, using the Force, then focused on the control panel and made a fist, destroying the controls to activate and deactivate the doors with a single explosion.

"There will be no escape for you, this time, my old master."

"I am not planning to escape. I hope, my friend, that you are ready to join the Force."

Anakin shook his head. "I'm giving you one last chance, Palpatine, for old times' sake. Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

"That is up to you to decide. Would you kill your only true friend?"

"Obi-Wan –"

"Oh please, Anakin. Who was the only one who stood by you throughout the Clone Wars?"

"... the war that you started for no reason!"

"... and the war that you ended, Lord Vader. You were on my side then. Then _you_ killed Padme for no reason. _You_ killed her. I can't save her when you killed her."

"I –" Anakin could not find words to say. Memories of those times were hazy. Memories that he really didn't want anymore. It was time to focus on the present, as Obi-Wan had told him so many times. "You are no friend. I _hate_ you!"

Growling, he raised his blade up high, then swung it low. Palpatine moved to block, and Anakin retracted his blade, reversed his grip, and stabbed out, hitting nothing but air.

"You are no match for the true power of the Dark Side," spoke Sidious in his typical oily voice, if voices could be oily.

"You underestimate my power," Anakin countered, before stepping forward forcefully, his blade whirling so fast it seemed as if he was encased in a red glow. Sidious gave ground, slowly, and the two Siths, one former, one present backed through the hallway – the only exit out of the room without a door, and ended up battling across a narrow glass corridor, raised over empty space.

Sidious hissed as he swung his blade savagely. Anakin Skywalker stubbornly held his ground, his blade flashing left, right, up, and down, so quickly that none of Sidious' strikes came even close to hitting him. The Sith Lord called upon his dark energy, and sent a powerful shockwave that did what no lightsaber strike could – force Anakin Skywalker to back away.

But in doing so, once again unleashed the full power of the Chosen One. Gritting his teeth, Anakin Skywalker strode quickly toward the Dark Lord, his blade raised up and over his head. Sidious responded in the classic position, his lightsaber low and behind his hip, ready for the inevitable strike.

The two Sith blades clashed, and swung to the side, shattering the glass windows. Sidious lifted the glass pieces using the Force, and flung it haphazardly at Anakin, who used the Force to redirect the glass shards into the other window, shattering it, and letting in a howling wind.

His robe and cape billowing behind him, Anakin advanced once more at his former Sith Master. "There is no escape, Sidious. This is the end for you ... I wish it were otherwise."

Anakin leapt to the side, then swung his blade left, then right, ending with a spinning attack. The Dark Lord stumbled, and Anakin finished with a leaping smash attack that sent Palpatine's lightsaber tumbling out of his grasp, into the abyss. Sidious used the Force to try to push Anakin off the narrow catwalk, but Anakin had ducked low and delivered a leg sweep that knocked the Sith Lord off his feet, following his following lightsaber's path into the darkness.

Anakin, breathing heavily, rose from his undignified position on the ground, rose, then began walking back to the throne room.

Halfway there, he began to run.

--

Sidious screamed as he fell, but his mind wasn't really in his fall. _How had that clown Skywalker managed to knock him over the walk?_ It didn't seem right – Lord Vader had never been that powerful. Even Skywalker's indomitable flame within his heart could not be so powerful it could defeat _him_. Of course, Sidious knew that he had spent vast reservoirs of his dark energy in scorching Kenobi, and was upset to see that Kenobi had made it out alive. That Jedi would interfere with his plans until he died. And Sidious would see to it that he died.

Satisfied that Skywalker had left the vicinity, he called upon the Force and activated the lift he had stored just for this purpose – if he ever tripped and fell over the glass windows, he would be able to survive the fall.

He landed gently on his feet, the Force cushioning the fall. As he waited for the lift to reach the upper levels, he could not suppress a smile as a plan hatched in his brain. "Skywalker ... you are mine ..."

--

Anakin tucked his Sith lightsaber into his belt, called his silver Jedi weapon to him and tucked that in as well. Then he turned to see Darth Petra – no, not Darth Petra anymore – Tarra, groan in pain. Blood was on the floor, her clothes stained and soaked.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here," he said. For that was his greatest strength, and his greatest failure. Anakin Skywalker _had_ to save _everyone_. He would save anyone who would do the same for him.

Tarra winced as Anakin's mechanical arm grazed her flesh wound, but looked appreciatively at Anakin and said softly, "Thank you."

Anakin nodded, bit his lip, then hoisted her to her feet. "Can you walk?" Tarra nodded, took a few sobbly steps, then fell over; Anakin grabbed at her with the Force to soften her fall. "Nevermind," Anakin said as he picked her up. "I should have known better than to ask such a stubborn lady." He grinned, then, hoisting her up, called his Jedi lightsaber to his hand and carved a hole big enough for the both of them into the locked door. A force push sent the door flying away, and Anakin moved, as swiftly as he could with another 110 pounds of essentially dead weight.

"Stop right there!" a storm trooper's voice shouted at him.

Anakin groaned. These storm troopers never quit. He guessed that it was in their programming. Those clones could be really dense sometimes. Shifting Tarra's weight to one arm, he held a mechanical arm and sent a push through the Force. The Imperial stormtroopers stumbled and fell – when they looked back up, the cloaked figure and the person he carried had disappeared.

Anakin crouched, moving slowly through the ventilation shaft. He had helped design the Death Star, after all, and he knew the whole space station backwards and forwards. It was nice not to have to kill more troopers, especially with Tarra's life on the line as well as his own.

_And Leia's, and Obi-Wan, and the Senator of Alderaan. Well, the former senator, anyway_. Alderaan, after all, no longer existed.

--

Bail Organa gritted his teeth as he fired his blaster, skimming the helmet of a storm trooper, who responded by turning and firing a blast through the ship, sending blaster scorch marks along the hall.

"Hey!" Han cried, "Stop blowing holes in my ship!" He fired three shots, and three holes appeared in the Stormtrooper's armor.

"Much better," said Senator Organa.

Leia remained curled in the corner, whimpering.

--

Anakin felt his daughter's fright, and his own grew. _I lost Padme_. He thought, gritting his teeth. "I won't lose Leia," he said out loud.

His strides grew longer, and he moved faster.

--

Han's blaster had stopped working.

"Not good, not good!" he cried as he saw a group of eight storm troopers marched up the ramp to his ship, firing as they advanced. Han ducked out of the way as the Senator fired a few shots, but he knew they would be overrun. There was no way the two of them could hold off a group of troopers with one gun.

Then a bar of blue plasma sprouted, and within a few seconds the eight stormtroopers became 8 corpses on the ground. Well, 8 _sets_ of corpses. All of them were missing parts of their bodies.

"Sorry I'm late," Obi-Wan apologized. "Are you all alright?"

Bail Organa dusted himself off, and nodded. "We're fine."

"Good." Obi-Wan turned to Han Solo. "The tractor beam is down. Warm up the ship and prepare for takeoff."

"But the fuel—"

"If I may interrupt," the voice of C-3PO said, "but the ship has been refueled about halfway. Artoo and I have seen to that."

Han Solo looked as if he could kiss Threepio. "That should be enough to get us out of here and to a decent place. Let's go."

"No, we have to wait for Ana—nevermind."

For a bar of blue plasma grew from the ground, slicing a circle. Then two bodies came out of the makeshift hole.

"Anakin, why did you –" Obi-Wan began to question why a Sith Lady was with his former pupil, but was cut off.

"Hurry, Obi-Wan. They're right behind us," Anakin said as he raced up the ramp as fast as his tired legs could carry him."

"Strap yourselves in," Han Solo said. Anakin buckled in Tarra's limp form onto a chair, then collapsed into another one, picking his daughter up and holding her as tight as his aching arms would allow.

"Rear shields at maximum power," Han said monotonously. "Thrusters engaged and at full power."

The _Millenium Falcon_ rose free from the ground, and launched from the hangar bay. Her rear thrusters lit the ground, already slick with oil, into flames. The Storm troopers would not be able to pursue them. All six human passengers sighed with relief. Even C-3PO did as human a sigh as a droid possibly could do.

Artoo whistled happily.

"5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... hyperspace!" Leia said excitedly, apparently over the shock of troopers bursting into the ship. Or maybe because she knew she was safe in her daddy's arms.

"Anakin, what happened with ... Palpatine?" Obi-Wan asked, concern etched into his face.

"I knocked him ... down ... the shaft," Anakin replied, still panting from his journey. Obi-Wan grinned.

"I knew you could do it."

Anakin could only smile, forgetting his fatigue as his daughter cuddled into his arms.

--

A/N: Thanks for the kind reviews again, keep it up guys. I'm sorry, but I couldn't just kill Darth Sidious – well at least not yet – some things have to go down before anything like that happens. Anakin has to learn to let go of his losses. Yoda has to do something productive. Tarra needs to figure out where she wants her future to be headed – heck, I don't even know that, I'll see how things go (the only thing I know is that Tarra's recovery from the Dark Side isn't as complicated – her reasons for joining Sidious has essentially been nullified, since she obviously owes Anakin her life. Obi-Wan needs to play a more active role.

So there will be a couple more confrontations before I choose how to 'bring balance to the Force'

So what, I wonder, is the Emperor's new "plan"? We'll see ... in chapter 12.

Read and Review.

--


	12. Friendship and Foreshadow

Chapter 12

--

The _Millenium Falcon_ zoomed toward the Super Star Destroyer _Executor_. "Requesting permission to board ship," Han said into his com.

"Transmit security clearance code."

"Stand by, transmitting now."

--

Captain Ozzel was walking toward the cockpit when one of his aides stopped him. "Sir ... Lord Vader is returning to ship!"

Captain Ozzel was not surprised, but he did wish that his superior would give him a bit more time to prepare. "Allow his ship to enter, and assemble all of our troops. Code Green."

Lieutenant Piett nodded, then strode out of the room.

Captain Ozzel straightened his mustache.

--

Anakin Skywalker descended first off the ramp to the deck of the _Executor_, holding hands with his daughter. All officers on board were currently kneeling, and troops stood at attention on both sides. He was followed by Tarra Havanis, restored Jedi Knight, who was supported by the broad shoulders of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa. Han Solo stepped off the ship after them, followed by the two droids.

"_Lord Vader_, it is a pleasure to see you back with us," Captain Ozzel spoke, emphasizing the first couple of words

Anakin grinned, his men would never stop at calling him "Lord", and well, quite frankly, at times he enjoyed being called "His Lordship", as annoying as it was. "You may rise. All of you," he said loudly, and all officers, commissioned or not, rose from their respective positions.

Turning to Captain Ozzel, he spoke, "_That_ one," jerking his head in Tarra's direction, "needs medical attention. See to it that she receives it immediately."

"Yes, milord," said Captain Ozzel quickly, before turning and relaying the orders. A med team swiftly moved forward, and, upon loading Tarra onto a stretcher, carried her away from the ship, into the ship medcenter.

--

Emperor Palpatine scowled as he made his way to his private chambers. He had counted upon Darth Petra to remain as his temporary apprentice until he had regained the control over Vader. Her unexpected loss would force him to move quickly. He knew that he would never get Petra back; she would be ingrained within the Jedi forever. Her hate and fears had been maxed out, and she was no longer the reservoir of dark energy that she had been before.

He sat down heavily onto his chair, and sighed. He was usually quicker at forming plans. But this was the first plan he had to make that was essentially an act of desperation. For there were 4 Jedi now. And only one Sith. The odds were not in his favor.

Then again, he mused, he was more than a match for them. Yoda was old, and weakening. The Sith Lord was more than a match for a nine hundred year old Jedi, regardless of how powerful that Jedi was, he knew that to be true.

Kenobi was far too predictable, every one of his moves were classic strikes and counterstrikes. Right out of the book – although this did not make him any harder to kill, it made his movements predictable. Sidious could handle that as well.

Havanis was ... reckless. As Count Dooku said earlier, before _his_ death, "what is power without discipline?"

As for Skywalker ... Sidious' mind turned back to when he was defeated by the former Jedi, former Sith. The boy was the most powerful Jedi alive, he knew that to be true. He was ... arguably invincible, having fully recovered from his defeat at Mustafar – well, with the exception that his left arm and legs were now made of durasteel rather than human flesh – but Skywalker just might be more powerful than Sidious could ever dream to be. Not from a knowledge standpoint, but physically he was probably the most powerful Jedi ... the most powerful Sith ... _ever_.

And _that_, he decided, was the reason that Skywalker was _perfect_ for his purposes. That was why he had _no choice_ but to get Skywalker back on his side.

And he would do so. He _had to_. Although he did not particularly enjoy the fact that he _had to_ do anything, he was perfectly confident that things would go as planned. After all, he was used to getting things his way.

--

"Good, Leia, good! Feel the Force!" Anakin said, encouraging his daughter. Leia was wearing a visibility-impairing helmet, swinging her small training lightsaber at little blaster bolts that were being shot by an even smaller droid.

Obi-Wan grinned at him, and he grinned back. Life could not be any better than this. He was the commander of his own super star destroyer, with his best friend and mentor, and his daughter, not to mention his two faithful droids. Although C-3PO didn't seem to remember him much – Bail Organa told him that he had the protocol droid's mind wiped. And the Emperor was dead.

Well, at least Anakin thought the Emperor was dead. That endless shaft didn't really seem very kind to a falling body.

But now that he thought about it, it was odd that nobody had even mentioned the Emperor's death. Nothing on the HoloNet. Nothing from the Empire. Nothing, even from his spies. Everything, according to his men, was running fine, as usual.

Anakin was interrupted in his thoughts with a small cough from the door. "Sir," the officer said, "The Jedi in the med-center wishes to speak with you."

Turning to Obi-Wan, Anakin shot him a apologetic look that said, "Can you watch over Leia for a bit?" and Obi-Wan understood. He had to. He and Anakin were, after all, perfect complements to each other. Perfect halves. Two sides of the same coin.

Then Anakin, his cloak whirling behind him, stepped out the room with the officer.

--

Tarra opened her eyes when she sensed Anakin near. The door opened and closed automatically as Anakin strode near her, leaning over her bed. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah ... I'm getting better – I'd be out of here if the doctors didn't insist I get extra rest."

"That's good."

"But I want to talk to you."

"What about?

"About why ... about why you saved me back there."

"Back where?" Anakin said, knowing where the conversation was headed.

"Don't play dumb."

"Well ... you _did_ save my life earlier, against the Emperor."

"It's more than that. I can feel it, and so can you."

Silence reigned in the room for a few moments. Then Anakin spoke, and his voice had gone quieter a couple notches – Tarra had to sit up on her bed to hear him.

"Obi-Wan always told me ... that I'm not loyal to the Jedi Order. That I'm loyal to _people_. And ... that's true, you know, I realize that. Friendship means ... everything to me, Tarra. Friendship ... and love ..."

"Jedi aren't supposed to love," Tarra pointed out.

Anakin nodded sadly. "And that is why I will never truly become a Jedi. I fell to the Dark Side ... because I _had_ to save her... I had to stop death ... and I thought that going to the Dark Side would make my dreams go away ... they didn't."

He paused, and somehow realized that he was wallowing in his grief again – he had gone off on a tangent. "Anyway ... I think the reason I saved you is because –"

"You have compassion?"

Anakin shook his head. "Not compassion. It's ... a reverence for life. Obi-Wan told me the same thing, back in Mustafar. It's ... respect, for the girl – the woman – you were, before you became a Sith."

Tarra's eyes shone with tears. "That's so ... thank you." Then her eyes shifted. "Mustafar?"

Anakin's eyes went dark.

"I'm sorry—" Tarra said quickly, but Anakin shook his head.

"No," he said. "I'm the one that's sorry. I'm sorry for what I did ... I can never undo ... the fall of the Jedi ... but I promise you I will do everything in my power _to make things the way they used to be_."

His face had a wistful look to them. The look of a pain that has been in him for too long.

Tarra looked at Anakin in awe. How had this man survived the pain of falling to the dark side, the pain of hurting all those close to him ... and yet still as powerful as he could be? How had ... Tarra searched her feelings, looked through those crystal blue eyes of Anakin and saw ...

... "an Angel ..."

Anakin turned sharply. "What did you say?"

Tarra did not answer, but closed her eyes and sank back to her pillow.

--

Anakin frowned inwardly. He could have sworn Tarra had just said "Angel." His angel. His Padme.

And he stood there for a long time afterwards, battling with his emotions. He didn't know it then, but at that moment, not 3 meters from him, Tarra Havanis fought a similar battle.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan's voice called out through his comlink. "Meeting in room 503, at 0600 hours. See you there."

Anakin picked up his comlink, and whispered, "See you," into it.

--

At 0559 hours, Anakin Skywalker, with his black robes billowing behind him, strode quickly into conference room.

"You're early, for once."

Anakin grinned. "Hey, I wasn't _always_ late_."_

"Oh, yes you were. You were late for every meeting, and just about half the missions, as well."

"Was not! That business at Cato Nemoidia doesn't _count_! I told you, droids held me back, I had to fight them off before I could –"

"You can explain later. We're going to begin now, everyone's here."

Anakin chuckled again, feeling genuinely at ease with his former master. Life now was so different than it had been during the war. In a way, it was better. There were no tensions, no trying to figure out where loyalties lie ... he hated to say it, but he liked life a lot better now than he did before he fell to the Dark Side. There were just too many politics and corruption in that galaxy, he couldn't stand it.

"... so I propose that we send a spy to the Death Star. Any volunteers?"

Anakin snapped to attention. "What?"

Captain Ozzel calmly turned to Anakin and repeated what he had just said. "We need more information if we are to stop the Empire. We need to know the Death Star's weaknesses. We need to know if the Emperor's _really_ dead. So I suggest we send a spy there ... and do please try to pay attention next time."

At Anakin's harsh gaze, the captain of the _Executor_ hastily added a "sir" to his statement.

Anakin stood up from his seat.

"No."

Obi-Wan was perplexed. "No what?"

"We're not going to send a spy."

"What? Why not?

"Because the Emperor will know. You can't use spies against the Emperor. He _knows_. Our deepest thoughts are to him apparent. We need someone, or _something_ that will display no emotion whatsoever."

"But only leaves us with –"

"Two choices. We can send the Jedi. Me, Obi-Wan, or Tarra, it doesn't really matter at this point. Now, since _I _am the leader of this—"

"No, Anakin, it's too risky and you know it. Don't let your hatred for Palpatine mess up everything."

Anakin growled, but relented. Obi-Wan was, as usual, right. "Fine. The second option ... is to send a droid."

All eyes swiveled to C-3PO on the spot.

"Oh," he said. "Oh, dear."

--

For the next two weeks, Anakin shut himself in the maintenance room, working on his golden droid. Of course, the golden armor wouldn't do, and they were replaced with Storm trooper uniforms. That droid was all that was on Anakin's mind for a long time.

And Anakin was all that was in Tarra's mind.

Tarra watched from a distance as Anakin worked, now and then popping her head through the door to offer food or help. Each time, Anakin would grin at her, say "thanks, but no thanks," and she would leave, coming back at another time. It worked like clockwork. Everyday. Perhaps ... perhaps today would be different. That was what she said to herself every time she tried.

"Anakin ... I brought you some food."

"Thanks, Tarra ... just set it over there, I'll get to it when I'm done."

"Honestly ... can't you take a break? That droid is all you've been working on for the past week!"

"Two," came the nonchalant reply.

"You are _impossible_!"

Anakin's head poked out from inside the droid he was working on – what used to be C-3PO. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. He put down his tools and sat down next to where Tarra was. "Was there something ... you wanted?"

Tarra looked at the ground. She hadn't expected Anakin to _actually_ talk to her this time – she just kind of went with the routine. "I ..." she started, then ended.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, concern etched on his face. "Spit it out."

"I ..." Tarra started, then changed her mind. "I hope you enjoy the food."

With that she ran top speed out of the room, leaving a very confused Anakin with his ... uh ... food, and a half functioning droid. It kept twitching.

--

This is how it feels to be C-3PO. That is, if a droid could really feel. But C-3PO was designed to be as human as droidly possible, anyway.

Your optical lenses lighten and focus. But something's wrong.

Your world is blocked by a shade of gray. You lift your arms, wiggle your fingers. Things still work.

"Well, Threepio," a voice asks, "How are you?"

"Master Anakin," you try to say. But it is not your voice that speaks.

"Commander," a rough voice echos in your head. _What? That wasn't what you said!_

"Master Anakin, I don't think is a good idea," you attempt to speak again.

"_Commander,"_ the voice says. Nothing more.

"Hello, Threepio," Anakin grinned. "How do you like your new body?"

_Hello, I –_ you stop as you realize your right arm is reflexively jerked upwards to your head in a salute position. "Sir, yes, sir!" you call out.

_Oh, but this is all wrong! _You think, not even bothering to try to speak now. Anakin's grin was undecipherable. "Yeah, you got it right, Threepio," he said, laughing. "Don't say anything, and you'll be safe. Now all that remains as a problem is how to get you _on the Death Star_."

That didn't sound remotely safe at all.

_Oh dear_.

--

A/N: End of chapter 12. Read and Review. I felt I needed _some_ comedy in here, so I brought in Threepio for a chapter or two, until ... well, you'll find out won't you? Personally, I think Anakin's not very nice to send Threepio into the Death Star, but hey, that's his decision. I don't think he's _that_ cruel, though, he'll probably copy C-3PO's memory files and store them somewhere safe until that ol' protocol droid gets back, if he gets back. As for the developing Tarra-Anakin "relationship" if you can call it that ... it doesn't seem much, and I don't plan on making it develop anytime soon, but all the same it's an important relationship, one that affects the course of history.


	13. Springing the Trap

Chapter 13

--

This is how it feels to be C-3PO. For now.

The moment your eyes are turned on, you are enshrouded in darkness. And somehow, you realize that it isn't your lenses that is causing the darkness.

And -- you don't even know how -- but your arms and legs begin to move in pre-arranged patterns, as a small blade whipped out in his hand and he slashed through the box that contained him. You can't make it stop. You cannot even slow it down.

You're not even sure you have a mind of your own anymore.

_Oh dear_, you think.

Utterly confused, and using extra caution while trying to move around, you step mechanically into the bright hallway.

--

"_Soldier! Where is your post?"_ The visual screen beeped out a warning.

"Uh, oh," said Anakin, staring intently at the screen, his hands placed tentatively over the controls. 'Think fast."

"Sector six, that section's always underpowered," said Tarra. Anakin quickly send C-3PO the orders, which the protocol droid -- well _former_ protocol droid then repeated to the guard.

"Yeah, well, snap to it. The General's coming by to check on us in 0430 hours, you want to be at your position before he or the Emperor finds you out. Now on your way."

_General?_ Anakin asked, perplexed. "What General?" He inquired as he reset the droid to manual movement after sending him the coordinates to Sector 6.

Obi-Wan and Tarra could only offer him innocent shrugs.

--

_Hey_, Threepio thought. _My legs are working. _He could turn, and move as he wanted to. He shuffled off to this "Sector Six", following the little holographic map Anakin had transmitted into his brain.

--

Each member of the Empire was typically ruthless, as evidenced clearly by the former Darth Vader, and the current Darth Sidious.

But even those two Sith Lords were human.

General Grievous … nobody really knows _what_ he is anymore. Once a proud warrior of an alien race, Grievous was … grievously injured in an explosion, and his body was held together in an organ sack hidden deep within his droidian body.

And then he met Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had, somehow, inexplicably, _destroyed_ him, leaving him to burn as a rotten corpse, shot by his own blaster. Grievous would never forget. He could not forget. The memory came to him easily, he simply had to run a search through his half alien brain.

But his master came for him. As he always did, and Grievous, of course, never forgets. Darth Sidious took in Grievous, and transported him to the medical facility -- the same one that had operated on Darth Vader. Oh yes, Grievous remembered that too. He doesn't forget. His burnt organs had been replaced by an artificial body. Not that he really needed too much of it, he hadn't needed to breathe or eat for years before his defeat at Kenobi's hands. Only his head now, or what was left of it, remained of his former alien self.

New, durasteel arms. Armor plast helmets. Lightweight, sturdy metal chest plate. And now, six monstrous arms, four of them shaped, once again like human hands. Shaped like human hands in order, of course, to wield lightsabers, to Grievous the most sophisticated of weapons. In his new cloak -- the old one had been destroyed -- hung four light sabers. Blood red, sith light sabers. Yes, light sabers. Grievous remembered how to use them, still. He doesn't forget.

The other two arms were now attached to the very thing that destroyed him. Twin blasters hung at his sides. Attached by a welding droid to his new arms.

More powerful and gruesome as ever. And still as able a commander. Because he doesn't forget.

Anything.

And as the General stepped off his shuttle, the troops all bowed and knelt before him, reveling in his power, soaking up his battle glory.

All except one.

C-3PO absentmindedly looked at his surroundings until he realized a pair of yellow, emotionless eyes pierced through his helmet.

--

"Learn your place, soldier!" Grievous yelled. A durasteel arm immediately went for a light saber grip handle. C-3PO recoiled.

The blade went up.

"STOP! GENERAL!"

Grievous glared at the officer who had interrupted his kill. "Why should I?" he growled.

"It is the emperor's command. You are to send this one to him directly. And he says you are to meet him in the throne room at 0600 hours, sir. He wants to discuss a data sphere he left in Mustafar, I believe he wants you to acquire it."

"Very well. Take him away!" Grievous growled, motioning his arm -- one of them -- at Threepio.

_Oh dear_.

--

"Daddy, I don't _want_ anymore!"

"You have to, Leia, you need to grow!"

"But it's so _nasty_!"

"Well that's not my fault. You should teach Tarra how to cook," Anakin said, winking at Tarra. Tarra flushed, but didn't say anything.

Then Anakin froze. He felt it. A surge in the Force. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" asked Tarra curiously.

"That … power. Something's wrong. I'm going to go check on Threepio, see if he has anything."

"At least finish your dinner," said Tarra in mock hurt.

Anakin laughed. "No, really, I'm full." _Honestly,_ Anakin thought_. Even Padme cooked better than Tarra, and Padme was horrible. In fact, without Threepio, they probably would have starved_.

At the thought of Padme, and subsequently Threepio, Anakin rose from the dining table, turned, and strode to the computer room.

--

_You are to send this one to him directly._ Anakin watched in horror as the video replayed. "He's alive. And he knows," he whispered, and suddenly he wished he had brought Obi-Wan with him.

Anakin watched as Threepio walked down familiar hallways, until the droid walked into the throne room of Emperor Palpatine.

"Anakin," he addressed.

_Sithspawn. He really does know._ Anakin cursed, but he knew that pretending that he wasn't really Anakin would not do a thing. Deep secrets are to Palpatine apparent.

He overrode the speech command and spoke into a microphone, so his voice projected halfway across the galaxy, through the coagulator of C-3PO. "You're alive," he remarked.

Sidious smiled an evil smile, cackled, then spoke. "Yes, Lord Vader. I'm alive. You thought hurling me over a catwalk would kill me?"

"Yes."

Sidious' smile faded. "In a way, you did … kill me … Lord Vader."

_Huh?_

"I would have _died_, Lord Vader, under normal circumstances, when I fell down the shaft. I was able … to harness the power … to stop death. My dark powers saved me."

"You _stopped_ --" Anakin was at a loss for words.

"Yes, Lord Vader. I stopped myself from dying."

Anakin gaped. _Padme could be ... alive_, he thought. _Padme, if I could just …_ "How … how do I learn …"

"I have ... gained that power, Lord Vader ... but I can't do it alone. I will need your help, if I am to succeed ..."

Anakin continued to stare blankly at the holoprojector. "How –"

The Emperor smiled, enjoying every moment. The conversation was over. Anakin had been told all that Sidious wanted him to know. Raising his hands, he sent a course of electricity into C-3PO, frying the protocol druid's circuits and shutting off the conversation.

--

Threepio was one of Anakin's most prized possessions, but at that moment Anakin wasn't even thinking about him. _Padme_. That was all that was on his mind. Padme. Alive. It was possible. Would turning back to the Emperor's side be worth saving Padme? Yes, yes, anything for Padme. Padme, Padme, Padme.

--

Tarra was frustrated. Anakin would never really see it, he was too _unbelievably stupid_ to realize that she ... well, to put it bluntly, she found him attractive. And not just the physical sense of the word. His character, his resolve, his undeniable power. He was ... an angel. And the angel was in pain.

"I'm going to check on what Anakin's doing," she said, rising from the table. Obi-Wan nodded, "I feel it too. Let's go."

Together, they raced toward the computer room, to find Anakin slumped in his seat, staring blankly at a ... blank screen.

His resolve and his power could not be seen. He was a man on the verge of falling over a cliff. He looked completely undecided, unsure of himself. He looked ... nothing like the person Tarra knew before.

"Anakin, what's wrong?" The words slip out of Obi-Wan's mouth before Tarra could open hers.

"He's alive."

"What? Who?"

"Sidious. He's ... alive ..."

"But you –"

"I _know_. That's why this is so ..." Anakin couldn't finish. His mind was somewhere else. _Padme_. He opened his mouth, he tried to tell Obi-Wan ... but before he could say anything, Obi-Wan spoke. "Play the transmission."

--

"What ... does he mean? He can't do _what_ alone?" Obi-Wan asked, and Tarra echoed him, in her mind. It didn't make any _sense_. If Sidious had survived, why would he want Anakin – and the remaining Jedi – to know?

Anakin's mouth opened ... and croaked out one word. "Padme ..." then he fell silent.

And Obi-Wan understood. And was suddenly filled with fear. This was history happening all over again. Anakin wanted Padme back. And he would do _anything_ to get her ... that was what Sidious wanted. He wanted Anakin. And this was dangerous, to all three Jedi in the room.

"Well," Tarra said brightly, "we should get going to Mustafar, then!"

"No, we shouldn't," Anakin's deadpanned voice responded dully.

_What?_

"It's a trap," he said, his voice full of defeat.

"Anakin, have you _forgotten_ our policy on _traps_?"

Slowly, a small smile appeared on Anakin's face, and he said, "Let's ... spring that trap."

--

To Anakin Skywalker, the trip to Mustafar was a way for him to forget about his problems. To forget about the Emperor. To forget about Padme, if only for a few days. The last time he felt like this, he wanted to go with Obi-Wan to find Grievous. The Council overrode that, like they overrode _everything_, and Anakin was left behind, on Coruscant, to deal with all the politics and corruption.

This time he could get away.

"Plot the course, Captain, head for the Mustafar system."

--

General Grievous stepped off his shuttle, onto the warm ground of Mustafar. Lava erupted behind him, but he paid no heed to it. He was made mostly of _durasteel_, dammit, and that could stand up to just about anything. Even lava, the scientists had said.

Even so, Grievous wasn't about to take any chances. He walked gingerly across the catwalk – well, as gingerly as a machine could walk, anyway – and made his way into the control center. Once inside, he came upon a grisly scene. Rotting corpses lined the floor. Grievous could recognize the facial features, and it was unmistakable that whoever this "Darth Vader" character was, he had done a thorough job with the Separatist leadership. Nemoidian arms and heads lay strewn about the floor.

Coughing, the bio-droid kicked a few dead bodies out of his way and made his way to a central pad, where he punched in the access code, and acquired the data drive. Then he sent a transmission to Lord Sidious, informing his master that he had completed the mission.

"The plans are safe with me, master."

"No doubt they are, General ... prepare the troops ... I sense you are about to have company ..."

"... company?"

"Yes ... the Jedi are closing in ... on Mustafar. Do not let them capture the plans, General. And you must ... kill ... Kenobi."

Grievous choked. "Kenobi is with them? Good ... I shall finally have my revenge!"

"Be ... careful ... General ... the Empire's fate lies in your hands," said the hologram of Darth Sidious, and then the transmission was shut off.

Darth Sidious, or Emperor Palpatine, chuckled in his seat. "Actually ... the fate of the Empire lies in _my_ hands ..."

--

"Sir, a ship is approaching planet, sir. Shuttle, lambda class."

"Lambda class? But that's an Imperial ship!"

"I'm only reporting what the scouts are saying, sir."

Grievous shook his head. "Prepare the troops. The Jedi will _die_ today."

--

Anakin stepped off the shuttle, flanked by Tarra and Obi-Wan. "It seems quiet," Tarra remarked.

"I told you it was a trap."

Tarra turned to Obi-Wan. "Your damn policy on traps is going to get us killed!" she said, smiling.

"Lightsabers out," Obi-Wan warned.

Tarra drew out her old lightsabers, and ignited them. Emerald light shone from the two weapons. Two bars of blue plasma also lit.

No sooner had their lightsabers been activated did a hail of blaster bolts rain down upon them. The Jedi moved quickly, letting the Force guide their actions, and no bolts came close to touching them. Then, silence.

"Missiles!" Tarra cried, performing a leap to dodge the explosive-packed projectile. It exploded harmlessly behind her. Anakin and Obi-Wan leaped away as well, enhancing their jumps with the Force, evading the missiles as well. They were safe, but now they were separated.

Storm troopers bore down on Tarra and Anakin, who both, spinning and slashing, sent every blaster bolt back at the soldiers who fired it. Curiously, Obi-Wan was not attacked, and he hurried over to Anakin's side, to help him out.

Suddenly a huge droid leaped down on him, and a metallic fist caught Obi-Wan's stomach, causing the Jedi Master to stagger. Four red lightsabers appeared, and General Grievous laughed. "You were lucky last time, Jedi! Now, prepare to die!"

Obi-Wan, his lightsaber angled in a defensive position, retorted, "What if I'm lucky again?"

Grievous responded with a quick slash of a lightsaber, followed by three others. The first one was shunted easily. The second one was blocked. The third one forced Obi-Wan to give ground. The fourth lightsaber hit nothing but air.

"Really, I expected better from a monster. You're even worse than you were last time."

"I am only _TOYING_ with you!"

"Really? I didn't get the impression this was fun for you. You look so ... pale."

Grievous didn't need this kind of harassment. He went on the attack again, slashing away with his blades, slicing rocks and dirt, making scorch marks on an already charred earth, but missing Obi-Wan entirely. "You can't run forever, Kenobi!"

"Watch me."

General Grievous growled in frustration, then fired blaster bolts, which the Jedi deflected easily. Obi-Wan, however, was not prepared for what came next. Displaying incredible agility, General Grievous somersaulted over his head and kicked out at Obi-Wan's back, connecting, and sending the Jedi Master, skidding, into the control center.

Clambering to his feet, Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber, and beckoned. Grievous growled. "No blaster to save you now!"

"Ah, yes, but I have my lightsaber."

"Fool! I have four!"

"Now you're sounding like a child. Grow up, will you?"

--

Turning back bolts, Tarra said, "I thought you said this was a trap!"

Anakin shrugged, as he slashed the last remaining trooper in half, "Just because it's easy now doesn't mean it won't get harder later."

As if on cue, three gunships zoomed out from behind rocky slopes, lasers blasting, and missiles firing. With nowhere to take cover, the two Jedi had to leap and whirl, to dodge the explosives. "Head for the hills!" Tarra shouted.

"I _told_ you it would get harder!"

"Don't remind me!"

--

Obi-Wan's mind was a whirl of memories. The last time he had battled in this room, he had fought against Anakin. And that hadn't turned out very well. Not for either of them.

But this time it was different. He had no feelings for Grievous. He didn't care for him whatsoever, and would really prefer for him to be dead, which he couldn't say about Anakin.

He lifted his blade, and went on the attack, his one blade taking on all four of Grievous' blades at once.

_Obi-Wan on the offensive_, Obi-Wan chuckled inwardly to himself. _Anakin would regret missing out on this_.

--

A/N: End Chapter 13! Read and Review! It's hard for me to update during the week – too much homework – but weekends will usually feature _at least_ one update. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, there will be more to come, and I assure you, it is far from over. Well, maybe not _that_ far. But far enough.


	14. Hope for the Rebellion

Chapter 14

--

Tarra grimaced as the storm troopers kept coming. In wave after wave, the troopers advanced, firing as they went. And those gunships weren't helping matters. She cursed silently, then sent a shockwave of Force power, pushing back the troopers and giving her a brief respite from the battle.

Anakin, beside her, was returning bolt after bolt, and massive numbers of Stormtroopers lay dead in front of him. Tarra glanced at him, and that was all the time she got, because the storm troopers were coming back.

Quickly she turned and began the process of deflecting bolts again. Then she sensed a heavy laser in the vicinity. "Look out!" she screamed, and Anakin was already moving, diving to the side.

Tarra realized that something had to be done with those gunships, they weren't exactly helpful to the Jedi cause. "Anakin, cover me, I'm gonna try to take out that ship!"

Anakin nodded, then moved closer to Tarra, deflecting bolts at double the speed, double the precision.

Tarra leapt up, raised her hands, and launched a torrent of Force lightning at the gunship. All the anger and the frustration within her erupted through her fingertips. The power she felt! It captured her, fed her fury, and she greedily felt more and more into the anger within her, the power that had lay dormant since she had defected from the Emperor.

'You're lucky your arms aren't metallic!" Anakin yelled, deflecting bolts. Tarra didn't answer. She couldn't. She didn't even hear. She was falling into the mist of the darkness. But even as she fell, she could feel it clearing. The power slowly dissipated. The anger gone. The lightning lowered in intensity, then disappeared altogether. And the gunship was still there.

_What?_ Tarra thought, panting. Drawing her lightsabers, she prepared to do battle once more.

And the gunship creaked, and whined. It flipped in circled as it fell downwards, hitting the lava below, melting instantly, blending into the surroundings.

--

Obi-Wan stepped back, panting for breath. Grievous was much better than he was the last time the two had met. But it wasn't like Grievous had any new moves – he simply seemed to be able to anticipate the Jedi Master's every move.

Grievous laughed in his wheezy voice. "Your tricks won't work again, Kenobi, I haven't forgotten them!" His eyes glowed a fierce yellow. "Prepare to _die!_" he shouted again, whirling his four lightsabers. Obi-Wan searched desperately, with his eyes and with the Force, to find something – _anything_ – to slow down the bio-droid's advance.

His eyes fell upon a Neimoidian corpse.

Reaching through the Force, he lifted it and threw it, as hard as he could, towards Grievous. The general didn't even flinch, using all four sabers to slice the corpse apart. Shu Mai, once a renowned Separatist, was now separated in, oh, six pieces.

Obi-Wan took Grievous' momentary distraction to dive-roll to the side, and, leaping to his feet, headed for the back door of the control center.

Blaster bolts zoomed overhead the Jedi Master, and just as he ducked past the door archway he saw a charged blast fly right through the air that he himself had been not one second ago.

--

Anakin smirked as his blade flashed left and right, that arrogant smile playing on his lips. "That was a nice move," he commented to Tarra, who flushed and said, "Thank you."

Anakin didn't hear her. He was already moving through the air, heading towards a gunship, his lightsaber flashing to deflect the blows the troopers were firing at him. Landing neatly through one of the side doors, _inside_ the gunship, he remarked, "Would you care to surrender this ship? I kinda need it."

The storm troopers looked at each other in fear, and Anakin took this opportunity to boot all three of them off the ship into the burning lava below. Smiling triumphantly, he sat down and took the controls.

--

In the safe confines of his quarters, Emperor Palpatine suddenly had a horrible sudden _bad_ feeling about Grievous' latest mission. He cursed; the bio-droid was never able to do any mission not containing the word "slaughter" properly.

"Get my shuttle ready, I sense Imperial troops are in danger."

--

The remaining gunship never had a chance. Anakin's ship was upon him in an instant, all guns blazing, and the Imperial gunship teetered and fell onto the rocky slopes with a deafening explosion.

The rest of the battle was over within minutes. With so many troopers on the ground, Anakin expertly weaved between the lines of fire, and returned with plasma bolts of his own – it was almost impossible to miss, especially for a pilot of Anakin's caliber. And the stormtroopers who managed to stay alive after Anakin's first five strafing runs ran for it.

Anakin leaped out of his now burning gunship, onto the ground besides Tarra, watching as his ship collided with the mountainside behind him.

"That was a nice move," he said again, "but mine was better."

--

Obi-Wan ducked another lightsaber blow, then kicked out with a beautifully executed bicycle kick that connected with Grievous' lower jaw armor plate. Unfortunately for Obi-Wan, his foot is made of flesh and bone, and Grievous' jaw plate is made of durasteel.

"Ouch!" Obi-Wan grimaced, while Grievous laughed.

"Your Jedi powers won't save you this time!" Grievous yelled, raising his blade. Obi-Wan took this opportunity to roll under the bio-droid's legs, turning around and slashing hard.

Grievous could feel no pain, but he did remember what it felt like. As he watched his lower left arm disconnect from his torso and fall to the ground with a _clank_, he distantly remembered what pain felt like, and he winced. Obi-Wan, watching Grievous' eyes dilate, swiped his blue bar of plama to the left, shearing off Grievous' lower right arm at the elbow.

General Grievous leapt backwards, howling. Looking at his molten stumps, he ran forward, remaining two arms slashing in random patterns, in his rage trying to inflict as much damage to the Jedi Master who had taken – count them – five limbs from his body already.

"Die, Kenobi!" he yelled, lashing out with his lightsabers, which were blocked, one after the other, then a vicious kick, which caught Obi-Wan squarely in the abdomen and knocking him off the catwalk, onto the rocky ground below. Grinning evilly, Grievous leapt off the platform and landed beside the Jedi Master.

"Prepare to d-" he began, but froze as he watched the data disc, which he had kept so safely, tumbling out from his cloak. Obi-Wan instantly reached out through the Force, and began pulling the disc towards him.

"No!" Grievous yelled, diving forward for the data disc.

Obi-Wan did the first thing that came to his mind.

He threw his lightsaber.

The blue blade sheared neatly through Grievous' legs, who flipped over and tumbled down the hot slopes of Mustafar, where his two mechanical hand gripped the ground for dear ... well, for dear _head_.

Make that _seven_ limbs, he thought mentally, while he struggled to stay away from the hot lava. He wasn't about to take chances, not even with professional scientists' opinion. They _always_ said things were stronger than they really were. He wasn't trusting his durasteel frame with his life. With his _head_.

Obi-Wan looked down at General Grievous, and began slowly making his way down the slope, to finish the bio-droid once and for all. Suddenly a flash of silver streaked across the sky, and he saw, that it was a ship, the ramp had been lowered, and Anakin's head poked through the hole in the ship.

"Get on!" Anakin yelled, "Sidious is here!"

_What?_ Obi-Wan thought blankly. "but Grievous –" he started.

"No time! Get in!"

Obi-Wan reluctantly backed up a couple steps, then made a flying leap forward, grabbing onto the ramp, hanging on for dear life. Anakin's mechanical hand clasped his flesh one, and together, the two clambered back on board, as the ramp closed behind them. "Go, go!" Anakin shouted to Tarra, who punched the controls, sending Anakin's shuttle away from planet.

Behind them, a shuttle identical to Anakin's broke through atmosphere.

--

"There they are, sir." A storm trooper led the Emperor to the disastrous battle that had taken place.

The Emperor's lip curled as he walked among the dead bodies laying on the ground. "Any casualties _inflicted_?" He hissed.

The soldier shook his head. "None, sir." The Emperor strode away, muttering to himself. Then he turned back to the trooper.

"Where is Grievous?" he snarled.

"He headed off that way with a Jedi, sir."

"Lead the way."

--

"Master!" The bio-droid called out.

"General ..." Palpatine hissed coldly, "you failed to kill the Jedi Kenobi ... your failure has cost us scores of men! Explain yourself!"

General Grievous clutched at his rock outcrop, looked down, and with horror realized that his legs were on fire. "Master ... can we talk about this ... _later_?"

"Do you have the data disc?"

"Master, _please_ –"

"_Do you have it! ANSWER!"_

Fighting desperately against the hold of gravity, and the hold of his fear, Grievous yelled, "No! I don't! Forgive me—"

No more words were necessary. Grievous felt an invisible, _powerful_ force grab him by the head and yanked his grasping hands away from the cliff. Clawing at the earth to no avail, Grievous screamed – surely, this was his end, to be dropped into boiling lava by the one he called his "Master".

He sailed through the air as if thrown from a catapult, landing heavily on safe ground, away from the lava. "Thank you, master," he croaked, as he reached up with one mechanical hand to try to stop the pounding in his head.

"You have done well, General."

_What?_ Grievous was sure his head was pounding, he could have swore the Emperor had just said that he had done _well_.

Palpatine smiled as only he could, then turned to a trooper. "Bring a medical capsule ... escort General Grievous to the Imperial med-center aboard the Death Star."

"Yes, sir" said the trooper, before rushing back to base to call for said medical capsule.

--

"I could have _killed_ him..." Obi-Wan said sadly. "I should have finished it ..."

"Hey, you felt the same thing last time. And I'm glad you didn't kill _me_."

"That was different –"

"No it wasn't ..."

"On the up side, at least we got the data disc, which was what we flew all the way over here for."

"We'll play it when we get back to headquarters."

--

Anakin inserted the small data disc into the holoprojector aboard the _Executor_. His fingers ran across the datapad.

"Figured out what it is yet?" Tarra asked.

Anakin's face screwed up in concentration. "It's a ... very tough ... code to crack ... I've almost got it ...there!" he cried triumphantly as the machine emitted a small beep and activated.

Artoo gave a low whistling "ooooooo."

The weapon displayed on the hologram was enormous. Spanning over eighty kilometers, the giant laser weapon was ... terrifying. Mesmerizing. _Glorious_. It was a beautiful creation, a combination of power and aesthetics.

Tarra looked at the diagram, with numbers and charts all over it. "What ... what does it mean?"

Anakin's face was once again contorted with concentration. Then he looked up, excitement bubbling in his eyes. "Call Obi-Wan. Heck with it, call all officers. Now."

"Why? What is it?"

"Tarra ... right here ... I think I know how to win this war."

--

"So you see, the shield is generated by the Turanis system ... if we can get a squad to deactivate the shield from there, then the Imperial fleet around the Death Star will be vulnerable – the _Executor_ and her fleet is the most powerful Imperial fleet out there, we should be able to blow right through quite a few of the other Destroyers," Anakin said, pointing at the hologram.

"But what of the Death Star itself?" asked a Rebel officer. "It's got some weapons on it as well."

"Don't engage the Death Star," Anakin said. "It's impossible, based on these plans, to destroy it with the firepower we have. We need something much more powerful to destroy it."

Obi-Wan interrupted Anakin's speech. "We need to defeat the Emperor. We _must_ stop the Empire from it's source. If we don't then all we do is useless."

Anakin's eyes held a look of fury and fear. "But we—"

"No buts. We both know the Emperor is too dangerous to be left alive."

_Padme_, Anakin wanted to moan, but he couldn't. Not in front of all his men. _Padme, I'm sorry_.

Tarra sensed the pain and sorrow in Anakin's heart, but said nothing. She stepped closer to him, put a hand on his shoulder. Not much, but a small gesture, enough to urge him to be strong and stay collected. Anakin turned to Tarra and offered a weak smile.

The officers began to murmur amongst themselves, until Obi-Wan silenced them, speaking again. "Once the shield is deactivated, two of the Jedi will board the Death Star and –"

"Incoming transmission, sir," interrupted a guard.

Anakin nodded. "Patch it through."

A few moments later, Master Yoda's face popped up on the screen. "Joining you, I will be. A ripe time, it is, to commence attack. Be there tomorrow, I will."

Obi-Wan bowed curtly. "It is good to have you with us, Master," he said, as the officers in the room cheered for the last non-human Jedi. Anakin silenced them with a hand, turned to the diminutive Jedi Master, and said, "We are honored ... May the Force be with you."

Yoda repeated, "May the Force be with you," then disconnected.

Anakin turned to the officers in front of him.

"We will discuss this tomorrow at 0900 hours. Captain, I want you to contact Rebel forces across the galaxy, and send them the coordinates of our position. _All _forces, Captain, I want all of them. The Imperial fleet stationed around the Death Star is considerably larger than all of our ships combined."

Obi-Wan looked at all of the officers in the room.

"Regardless of the outcome of the battle,"

He paused dramatically, as the room hushed.

"This ... will be the final stand of the Rebellion."

--

A/N: I know, It kind of sounds like a Return of the Jedi thing, with the shield generator and everything. But I needed _some_ way to set up a confrontation again ... Big question, of course, is how Anakin deals with his fears and pains. Keep reviewing guys!


	15. Fateful Decision

Chapter 15

Review Responses:

**darth mojo the spork** – thanks for the reviews again. Yes, palpatine wanted them to find the data disk – meaning he _does_ have something in store for them. Just what it is ... we'll find out.

**Hieiko** – I loved that lightsaber battle between Grievous and Obi-Wan. I tried to capture Obi-Wan's demeanor during the fight – calm, almost joking, but serious at the same time.

**Kal's Gal** – Here's a rule for your next review – don't use the words "keep going" Get creative! Haha thanks for the reviews by the way.

**Anwinn** – Darth Vader's stuck in his suit because he can't breathe, he has spinal injuries, is burned beyond recognition, and just looks friggin menacing in that suit. Luke just got a hand sliced off. Remember Anakin had that prosthetic arm as well after his first duel with Count Dooku.

On to the story!

--

Gripping his training lightsaber tightly, Anakin swung his blade through the air in crisp, precise motions. Each step haunted him. Every second he was alone hinted of the ultimate decision. _His_ ultimate decision. His Padme.

"Don't you ever get bored of fighting thin air?" came a voice from the door. Anakin mentally chastised himself for losing focus.

"No – yes."

Two training lightsabers hummed to life. "Would you like company? Just like the old days?"

Anakin turned, a grin on his face. The thought of Padme disappeared. "You're on, Tarra. Best out of three. Loser treats the winner to lunch tomorrow."

"We live on a blasted Star Destroyer, how many kitchens are there?"

Anakin grinned all the wider. "One."

The two humans went into a dance, then, Tarra performing leaps and whirls over Anakin's head, and Anakin constantly slashing away.

Tarra knew Anakin was holding back. He had so much power that it was surprising to her that she had lasted thus far. "Stop going easy on me, Anakin, I'll never get better that way."

"Very well," Anakin's short reply was followed by a flurry of slashes. His blade went left, then right, then he spun in a circle, knocking Tarra's blades aside. An overhead chop followed the attack, catching Tarra at the right shoulder. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, leaping backwards.

"One-nothing," Anakin said, launching into another attack, his blade managing to counter both of Tarra's, ending with a backwards stab that, surprising Tarra, would have burned a hole in her chest, if it had been a real lightsaber.

"You owe me lunch tomorrow."

"That wasn't fair! You attacked when I wasn't ready!" Tarra yelled indignantly. Anakin laughed.

"Well then you should have been – whoa!" Anakin's remark was cut short with a flash of light, as Tarra's lightsabers whirled, one after the other, towards him. Only a desperately leap backwards allowed Anakin to escape Tarra's blades.

"What the –"

Tarra's blade continued to whirl, slashing this way and that in unpredictable patterns. Anakin's blade managed to meet all of them. Tarra stopped her advance, and Anakin, almost on inpulse, reacted, launching himself at Tarra.

Big mistake.

Tarra stabbed straight forward, and Anakin's momentum carried him forward, almost ramming himself into the lightsabers. He howled in pain, and fell back.

"Fine," he said, grimacing. "You win one. You still owe me lunch."

Tarra laughed, pointing at Anakin. "But I got you twice. We're even."

Anakin broke into a grin. "Fine. Next time I won't go so easy on you."

"Bring it on, big guy."

And Anakin Skywalker was happier than he had been for a long time, his mind finally somewhere other than where Padme was.

--

In the company of others, Anakin Skywalker was the epitome of greatness. Of power. Of confidence.

In his own quarters, in solitude, he was a pool of sadness.

Of darkness.

Obi-Wan felt this sadness, and he went to confront Anakin about it numerous times, but was waved off each time.

But this time it was important. The fate of the rebellion was placed on this decision. For Anakin Skywalker, _his_ fate was placed on this decision.

Obi-Wan was determined to make the right choice.

"Anakin," he began, "do you think you are ready to kill the Emperor?"

"No," came the short, blunt reply, "It's ... it's not the Jedi way."

"You're not even truly a Jedi," Obi-Wan reminded him.

"Don't remind me."

"Anakin, I can't do it alone. I need your help to stop the Empire!"

"Ask Yoda to help you."

"Anakin—"

"I _can't_ kill him! I need him _alive!"_

_What?_

"I need him _to save Padme!"_

"Anakin, Padme's gone –"

"No! I mean yes, she is! But I can _bring her back_!"

"Anakin—"

"The Emperor has that power!"

"_He's lying!"_

Anakin's mind whirled. "What?"

"Anakin, can't you see? That's what he wants! He wants you to go back to him!"

"I'm not going to kill him, Obi-Wan,"

"Very well," Obi-Wan stood up. "I'm going to have to keep you in the battle then. You'll be commander of Squadron Alpha."

Anakin's eyes burned in fury. "The entire _fleet_ is at my command!"

"Anakin, I'm sorry, I really am. But you can't command if you have second thoughts about destroying the Empire. We voted that you have to step down. Temporarily, of course," he added quickly, seeing the fury in Anakin's eyes, the power of his aura.

"_We? _Who's _we_?"

"Well, Master Yoda and I. The remnants of the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan said, turning. "I'll leave you alone, now. Report to bridge at 0900 hours tomorrow, we're making the jump into hyperspace. All rebel forces have been alerted and are going to meet us."

He left, leaving Anakin seething in his quarters.

Obi-Wan didn't know it, but those words, _Jedi Council_, decided for Anakin. It was easy, really. Just a blast from the past. It was how it used to be.

"They _fear_ my power," Anakin growled, to nobody in particular. He felt the darkness rising in him, and he reveled in the power. "The _Jedi Council_," he spat, "are against me. Have been against me from the very start. They want to _keep Padme from me!"_

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

His irises burned yellow.

--

Several systems away, the Emperor smiled. "Good, Lord Vader ... good." He cackled. With Darth Vader in his grasp, the rebellion would be swat like flies. It was time to carry out the second phase of his grand scheme.

Turning to an aide, he said, "Pull back ... all troops ... from the Turanis system."

"Sir?"

The Emperor grinned. "Just do it."

--

Obi-Wan and Yoda sat in the conference room. "Master, I just met with Anakin. I'm afraid we parted rather badly," began Obi-Wan.

"Difficult to understand, Anakin is. Unstable, he is. Still, on both sides, he could end up. Darkness, I sense in him," the diminutive Jedi Master said.

"But Master, I'm afraid if we put Anakin in this battle, he may be torn –"

"Told you this, did I not? Rejoin the ways of the Sith, he may, I said. Believe me, you did not. At risk, he is. Have faith he will choose the right path, we must."

Obi-Wan could only nod solemnly.

--

The next day, at 0901 hours, a huge rebel fleet had massed within hyperspace range of the Death Star. "Warm up your ships," Obi-Wan called out, his message blaring throughout the rebel fleet.

"When I give the order to attack, hyperdrive by rank. First line of ships first, until the last. Jump to within 1200 kilometers of the Death Star, but do not engage. Repeat, do _not_ engage."

Anakin turned to his former master. "I hope you have sent Leia and Senator Organa somewhere safe, as I instructed you to.

"Don't worry, she's on Hoth right now, you saw her leave, remember?" Obi-Wan said.

Of course Anakin remembered her leave. It was her _destination_ that he didn't trust. "You're positive she's on Hoth?"

"Yes, Anakin."

"Let me see her," said Anakin, a strange request given the imminence of the battle ahead. Obi-Wan stared. _Are you out of your mind?_ He thought.

He was, however, firm. "You are to stay aboard this ship," he ordered.

Anakin did not respond, staring intently at the wall.

Obi-Wan shrugged, then strode off the bridge.

Anakin watched him go, then turned to the bridge officer. "Ready my fighter," he said, pulling up his hood.

The bridge officer stared.

"Do it, and I will leave you in peace. Resist, and I will leave you in _pieces_."

The bridge officer, apparently, decided that he liked his body as it was.

--

From the planet of Turanis, several transports, loaded with Storm troopers, launched from the planet surface, towards the giant space station looming over them.

All in plain view of Rebel scouts.

In their haste to inform the Rebellion leadership aboard the _Executor_, they failed to see a lone transport make it's way back to the planet.

That transport held the newly reconstructed General Grievous and a team of his trusted magna guard droids.

--

"General Kenobi, all troops have evacuated from the planet. Our path to the shield generator is clear," reported the scout.

"Clearly, the time to strike is now," Obi-Wan said. "Master Yoda and I will personally attack the shield generator. The planet is not covered by the shield outside of a 100 foot radius, so we will land outside of that radius, then gain access through one of the entrances. Elite rebel forces will accompany us. The rest of the fleet will engage Imperial cruisers and destroyers until the shield is dropped. When the shield is dropped, Master Yoda and I will board the Death Star, and engage the Emperor. The rest of you, concentrate your fire on the Death Star itself. There is _one_ weakpoint ... fire at will, I have sent you the coordinates for the power generator of the Death Star itself."

"But sir ... what if you are still on the Death Star when we destroy it?"

"Then we will die," Obi-Wan said, a twinkle to his eye. "Simple enough?"

"What about me?" Tarra asked. "I want to fight too!"

"You are to command Fleet Beta in the attack on the Death Star." Tarra turned, sulking. She had really wanted to kill the Emperor, too. She was ready.

"And what of the _Falcon_?" a young teenager said. Han Solo wanted to be a part of the most epic battle in history as well.

Obi-Wan smiled, "Just kill as many Imperials as you can, young one."

Obi-Wan then spoke into the intercom. "Make the jump to hyperspace _now!_"

--

The rebel fleet was now within striking distance of the Death Star, which, oddly, seemed as if it had no protection whatsoever. The Emperor cackled. His fleet was on the far side of the planet, safely out of sight. He was confident that the shield would hold up to any blast of the Rebel ships long enough for his fleet to emerge, deploy, and destroy the rebel forces.

He look out the window to see one lone ship approaching. A Jedi fighter.

"Good," he drawled. "Good."

--

"Artoo, request permission for shields to drop," Anakin spoke. Artoo beeped his disapproval, it wasn't _right_ to do this, he whistled. "We've been through this, Artoo, just do it." With a mechanical grumble, the astrodroid sent the message to the Death Star.

"What is your –" the Death Star officer began, but was cut off.

"This is Lord Vader. You are to let me pass and you will drop the shields."

"I will let you pass and I will drop the shields," the officer repeated weakly.

--

Leia tossed in her sleep. "No ... Dad, no!"

Bail Organa went to her immediately, concern etched on every line of his face. He wanted to comfort her, to help her, but he knew he couldn't. He had tried for days to ease her discomfort, but every night the dreams haunted her. Pain, she had told him. Suffering. Darkness.

"You just miss him," Bail had always said.

"No, no," she would always sob. "he's suffering."

And Bail Organa could only hold her, as dearly as a father could.

--

The rebel fleet moved forward, advancing towards the Death Star.

The Imperial fleet emerged from the shadows of the planet to engage.

A lone transport made its way to the rocky planet of Turanis.

Aboard the Death Star, two of the most powerful men in the universe reunited.

Let the battle begin.

--

A/N: Well that's the battle! I don't know how many chapters are left in this thing, but it's starting to wrap up. Keep reviewing!


	16. Fall of the Jedi

Chapter 16

--

Obi-Wan and Yoda stepped off the fighter, onto the rocky planet of Turanis. Gas outlets were everywhere, and the planet was covered with a seemingly impenetrable fog. One could not see past 50 meters.

"Well," Obi-Wan said, "This is an odd place to build a shield generator."

Master Yoda had his eyes shut tightly. Something wasn't right. Didn't _feel_ right. "Surely, young Obi-Wan, sense danger, you do?"

Obi-Wan replied, "Of course, this is obviously a trap. And you know my policy on traps."

Yoda shook his grizzled green head. "In danger, we all are. Darkness, I sense. Too soon, we attacked. Yes, yes ... too soon," he said sadly.

"Master, look," Obi-Wan said, pointing ahead. "There's an entrance."

"Enter we will, it is clear. Succeed ... not as clear, it is."

--

"How are you going to save Padme? Tell me!" Anakin demanded.

"How fortunate, I am," drawled Sidious, "to have an apprentice who feels he should threaten _me_." He chuckled. "Your hate is still strong, Lord Vader ... together we will resurrect ... Padme."

Anakin was not in the mood for cryptic mind games. "Tell me! Tell me how!"

"It will take you ... years ... to learn," the elderly Sith said. At these words, Anakin, as if someone had swung a lightsaber at him, let go immediately, like a spring, stepping backwards.

"I'm sorry ... please ... help me ..." he said, longing in his eyes.

"Oh, I cannot help you now ... I have a rebellion to defeat ... my Empire needs security before I can attend to other matters. I'm very sorry, Lord Vader, you will have to wait quite until peace has been restored to the galaxy before I can devote my attention to Padme. When the galaxy is at peace ... then I will assist you. You will have to wait awhile. The Empire itself takes precedence over your wife."

Anakin seethed. "Could you ... _speed it up_ a little?"

"I? No ... no, I cannot. Ever since my last able apprentice left me ..." Darth Sidious trailed off. "Unless _you_ can speed it up a little ... I'm afraid you will have to wait."

_Just hang on, Padme. I _will_bring you back._ "What must I do?"

"Only what is ... necessary ... Lord Vader ... the Jedi ... must be destroyed. Until the last of the Jedi have been killed ... peace will never take hold of the galaxy ..."

Anakin bowed. "It will be done ... _my master_." He had absolutely no love for the Sith Lord, but he would do what he had to, as long as Padme would return.

The Emperor smiled. "Good ... good ... now go! There is a disturbance in the Force ... do what must be done!"

"Yes, my master." _You underestimate my powers,_ he smirked inwardly,_ I am your disturbance in the Force_._ Soon ... Padme and I will rule the galaxy as husband and wife._

--

Outside, the battle raged.

"Yee-haw!" yelled Han Solo, with his new co-captain, a Wookiee by the name of Chewbacca, blasting apart Imperial TIE fighters.

TIE fighters were everywhere, of both the Rebellion and of the Empire. Shots were fired all over the place, and it was utter chaos.

Amid the chaos and destruction was one Jedi starfighter. In that starfighter sat a very alarmed Tarra Havanis. "Arfour, when was the last time Anakin contacted the _Executor_?"

-HALF AN HOUR AGO- whistled the reply.

"Do you think he's alright?"

-HE HASN'T BEEN "ALRIGHT" FOR MONTHS-

"That's not funny, Arfour. Where do you think he is?"

-HE LEFT THE SHIP, AND HEADED FORWARD-

"Forward? But that means –" Tarra froze. Anakin had gone to the Death Star. This she was certain of. But why? Why would he abandon all the plans of the Rebellion?

"He's in trouble, let's go check it out."

-THE SHIELD IS STILL UP...- Arfour's tone was bored.

"Oh, right ... well alert me once it's down!"

--

Obi-Wan and Yoda cautiously made their way towards the entrance. Whipping out his lightsaber, Obi-Wan ignited it and sliced through the door. Extinguishing his blade, he and his diminutive partner strode in.

"Something's not right," remarked Obi-Wan.

Yoda sniffed the air. "Right, you are. Been here before, someone has." He bent low to the ground. "Human ... this one is. Hmm ..."

Obi-Wan looked at Yoda worriedly. "Let's keep moving," he suggested, and the two Jedi Masters continued to walk slowly and cautiously, across the barren land, toward the power shield generator. Well, they assumed that's what the huge beeping light was in the distance.

Shifting sand. A cloaked figure landed in front of the two Jedi. Lowering his hood, he remarked, "Hello, masters."

Obi-Wan stared blankly. "I thought I told you to stay on the ship."

"You're not my master anymore."

Obi-Wan was angry, but calmed himself, letting the Force flow through him once more. "Fine. Let's all just ... go ... together."

A new voice stopped him. "Hahahaha!" it cackled. "I don't think so!"

Obi-Wan, for the second time that night, stared. "Grievous?"

"The one and only! Hahaha! Prepare to—"

"To die. Yes, so I've heard many times, I'm still alive, aren't I?" remarked Obi-Wan.

Seven lightsabers ignited, Two azure blades erupted from Anakin's and Obi-Wan's sabers. From Yoda's hand sprouted a bar the color of life. From Grievous' metallic hands spawned four menacing Sith synthetic blood-colored lightsabers.

Anakin looked at General Grievous, then, with a furious cry, raised his lightsaber.

--

This is the death of Master Yoda, aged eight hundred and fifty-nine.

You watch as Anakin raises his blade, and you wonder ... why in the name of the Order was he beginning an attack so far out of range? Last time, you had checked, Anakin's arms were not ten feet long. And yet at the same time, you have a sudden, horrible, sickening _bad feeling_ about this.

Anakin's blade whips downwards, left, then right Your eyes widen, because the blade does not stop. It keeps going. It's speed, it's precision unmatched. It's ... not doing anything.

And just as you cock your head in wonder and amusement, you are fed half a meter of blue plasma, straight through your chest.

Beside you, Obi-Wan Kenobi lets out a strangled yell. "Anakin!"

The Chosen one turns to face you, and through the mist, through the red that is now your vision, you notice ... his eyes are glowing.

_Yellow_.

You look down at your chest, watch as the blue blade removes itself from your chest. And you fall for the rest of your life.

--

General Grievous, lightsabers still ignited, watched the entire thing with wide eyes. "What –"

Anakin Skywalker turns to you and says, "Go back to the shield generator ... there is nothing you can do here."

"What –" Grievous is still stunned by the sudden turn of events.

"Go. _Now_. Guard it with your life," The power in Skywalker's voice was unmistakable. Grievous scampered like the coward he was. Back to his magna guards. Back to the shield generator. Back to safety.

Anakin turned, pulling his hood away from his head. "I'm giving you one chance, Obi-Wan. Go away. Leave forever, don't come back.

"Anakin, _why –_"

"You wouldn't understand. I'm doing this to save Padme. I killed her the last time. I'm not making the same mistake again."

"You _ARE_ making the same mistake! Leave the Sith! Let me help you!"

Anakin sneered. "When have _you_ helped me?"

Obi-Wan was exasperated. "Maybe ... when I _trained you?_"

Anakin scoffed. "That doesn't count. You only did that because Qui-Gon asked you to."

"Anakin, you know that's not true!"

Two bright blue blades extended to the sky.

Deja vu all over again.

--

"Alpha-leader, this is Beta-Seven. We're being hit by heavy fire. Requesting assistance."

"Copy that, moving in now."

Swarms of fighters streaked across the sky, plasma cannons firing wildly, but Han Solo, aged only fifteen, held his own. Twisting the saucer shaped _Falcon_ around, banking left and right, dodging fire, and shooting back.

But with the shield of the Death Star still intact, there was no way the Rebellion could score a victory.

And so the entire fleet waits with anticipation, hoping against hope that Obi-Wan and Yoda will make it to the shield generator soon.

--

General Grievous, upon reaching the shield generator, seethed. Skywalker had the nerve – the _audacity_ to order _him_ around. Him! The greatest field general the Empire had ever known. Grievous would not tolerate this ... this _obvious_ betrayal.

It had been a long time since General Grievous had _felt_ anything. For the first time in more than a decade, his mechanical heart beat faster than normal. For the first time in a decade, General Grievous considered ...

_Fighting back_.

For the first time, General Grievous remembered the one thing he had not remembered until now. Because it was _Darth Sidious_ himself who had ruthlessly sliced apart the once proud alien, laughing underneath that infernal hood of his. Only when Grievous displayed his willingness to survive, clawing at the ground beside him, screaming, vowing for revenge, did Sidious order his internal organs be placed into a sack, and his remains placed in a cage. The cage that became his identity. The bio-droid that everyone feared.

And now, it was clear, what he had to do. He took out his lightsaber, and plunged it into the machinery with a shower of sparks. Jolted by the voltage of the machine, Grievous was thrown backwards, still clutching his lightsaber.

The central control exploded, raining debris around the control room. The magna guards were swallowed up, as were the few storm trooper patrols around the controls. Grievous, luckily, was unhurt, for the initial jolt had sent him flying behind a large chair, which shielded him from the worst of the explosion.

The once-proud bio-droid stood and, gripping all four of his lightsabers, laughed. Then he strode out the door to complete his life's goal. His dream. His ambition.

He would slaughter.

He would spill Kenobi's blood, he growled, before the night was over.

--

-THE SHIELD JUST WENT OUT- whistled Ar-four-Tee.

"Really? Excellent," said Tarra, with grim determination etched on her face. "Let's figure out what all this is about. I hope Anakin's okay ... I can't live without him."

-JEDI ARE NOT TO HAVE ATTACHMENTS- tootled the droid.

"Oh shut up."

--

"Captain ... it's time!"

Captain Ozzel turned, facing a young Lieutenant Piett as the man, face shining, informed him that the Death Star's shield was, indeed, down.

"All fighters ... commence attack on Death Star. Repeat, the shield is down, _commence attack on Death Star now!_"

He looked at the forward viewscreen. The moment of truth was now. The Rebellion versus the Empire. Democracy versus Absolute Monarchy.

The victor would determine the fate of the galaxy.

--

Blue lightsabers whirled, then met in a crackling clash of energy. "Anakin," Obi-Wan's voice was strained. "Please! Don't do this! We don't have time!"

"You think I don't know that? Why don't you just _let me kill you!_" Anakin's yelled, swinging his blade again. The two warriors circled each other, lightsabers a constant, lethal dance between them. Once more these two men were locked in their own epic struggle. But this time it was different. It was no longer Light versus the Dark side. It had absolutely nothing to do with that, not in Anakin Skywalker's mind.

In the mind of the Chosen One, it was Padme versus Obi-Wan. And it appeared as if Padme had won out.

Blue light streaked up, over, around, the two warriors never missing a beat, slashing away constantly; Anakin, always on the offensive, launched into his vicious overhand chops and horizontal swipes. Obi-Wan, in his own defensive-minded Soresu combat style, picked off strike after strike that rained down upon his figure.

There was no time for this, Obi-Wan decided. The Rebellion depended on him, and on him alone. With Master Yoda dead, it was up to _him_ to disable the shield. He couldn't very well disable the shield with Anakin hanging all over him.

Obi-Wan attacked. Anakin, surprised, desperately parried, matching every strike with equal skill and precision.

Then Obi-Wan stopped. This had always been Anakin's weak point. He always instinctively turned right around and slashed hard. And the Jedi Master still had one trick up his sleeve.

It worked like a charm. Like a raging reek, Anakin turned, roaring and slashing hard. And was thrown backwards by the sheer power of Obi-Wan's resulting Force shove. By the time a groggy Anakin had struggled to his mechanical feet, Obi-Wan had gone.

Anakin stared off into the mist, where his former master had been moments before. Turning off his lightsaber, he fell to his knees.

"What have I done?"

Inside his head, he heard the words _Fulfilling your destiny_.

But Palpatine didn't say those words.

He did it. He said it himself.

_You're doing the right thing, Anakin_, he consoled his troubled heart. _It isn't the Jedi way, but it's the _right_ way. It has to be the right way. It's for Padme_.

Pushing his doubts aside, he stumbled away from where, moments earlier, he had engaged in a vicious saber battle with his longtime friend, mentor, and master. Away from where a diminutive Jedi lay, dead, slain by the one prophesized to bring balance to the Force.

_A prophecy misread, it may have been._

--

A/N: End Chapter 16! Big twist there, killing off Master Yoda ... I was kind of sad to see "my little green friend" go out like that. Snuffed. Anyway, the story's not over, like I said. The Empire may win the war after all. Anakin Skywalker is still hovering around the edge, as shown by his conflict at the end of the chapter – so for you "OMG WHY'D YOU HAVE ANAKIN GO BACK TO SIDIOUS?" folks (Thanks Hieiko for the review btw) – there's still some hope he may turn back to the light, don't give up on him yet!

To Darth Mojo the Spork – I was going to bring Leia into the forefront of the battle, which will affect Anakin's decisions, but I found out a better way – since I realized that putting Leia in danger doesn't exactly help my story out. Thanks for reviewing.

Read it, now Review it!


	17. Love Ignites the Stars

Chapter 17

--

Newly rechristened Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, stepped off his fighter onto his private hangar bay aboard the Death Star. Pulling his hood over his head, he walked, with his typical powerful and confident stride, to the Emperor's quarters.

"Master Yoda has been ... taken _care _of, my master."

"Good, you have done well, Lord Vader ... but what of the other one? Kenobi?" Darth Sidious had to ask. He thought Vader had been fully immersed, once more, into the Dark Side – that all his attachments, like all attachments when felt by the Dark Side, had been burned away with the same fire and intensity as the lava shores of Mustafar.

But _Skywalker_ ... Skywalker was different. His journey to the Dark Side seemed almost ... reluctant. As if he didn't want to do so, but he _had to_ ...

... to save Padme.

Emperor Palpatine smiled. That would be taken care of ... soon. He extended a withered hand and locked his yellow orbs into Vader's.

"Lord Vader," he said, "Obi-Wan Kenobi is a _Jedi_. He _must_ be destroyed. You were in perfect position to kill him, Lord Vader ... you could have _brought peace to the galaxy_!"

Vader's hands tightened into fists, and he gritted his teeth. "I _can't_."

"Of course you can. It is _your destiny_."

Vader snarled, "I _will not_ kill him!"

"You are the first apprentice I have had ... who had the gall to yell at _me_."

Vader stepped back. "I am sorry, my master. It was not my place."

"Good ... there is another Jedi on the Death Star."

"I have felt it, my master."

"Kill it."

"_Kill it?_" Vader shook his head. "No, I can't. Not Tarra. She's ..."

"She's what, Vader ... she is more than Padme?"

"No. _No._ But she's helped me ... _overcome_ ... my weaknesses. She's been a fountain of light to me. She knows what it feels like. She _understands me_."

Darth Sidious, when Vader had said that line, suddenly had a _bad feeling_ about the entire plan. And he didn't like having bad feelings about _anything_.

After all, he always got what he wanted.

--

Obi-Wan held back tears as he made his way to the shield generator. Every beat of his heart reminded him that he was a failure. He had failed Anakin. Again.

But even as he regretted his decisions, his failures, he knew he had a job to do. One that might just undo what he had done with Anakin. And although nothing, he knew, would ever replace what Anakin had been to him ...

He let it go.

He let it go because he couldn't do anything else. Because the Force had whispered a warning to him, telling him to keep his mind on the present.

The present. A silhouette of a familiar bio-droid stood on the rocky slopes before him. Four red lightsabers erupted from their hilts.

Obi-Wan sighed, then said, "Kindly get out of my way, I have a mission to complete."

"You don't need to, Kenobi. I have done it for you."

Obi-Wan had absolutely no idea what the General was talking about. "What?"

"I shut down the shield generator. Your job there is finished. One obstacle against the rebellion has been removed."

"Why—" Obi-Wan was completely perplexed by this sudden turn of events. The Force told him General Grievous was being truthful, but it did not offer an answer as to why.

Grievous, on the other hand, did. "It is you I want, Kenobi. You, and only you. The fate of the Rebellion and the fate of the Empire is not my concern. Only you."

Obi-Wan sighed again. "So be it," he said, a blue lightsaber ignited and humming to life. But he realized that this battle with Grievous would be the most difficult fight he will have ever faced. Having barely recovered from his duel with Anakin, who was no amateur duelist, Obi-Wan was staring at a droid that no longer cared about life or death. Who no longer cared about the big picture.

To Grievous, this battle was himself against Obi-Wan. It was personal. And it was to the death.

Obi-Wan lifted his blade, and beckoned.

--

Tarra slashed through waves of clones, using the relatively narrow corridors to her own advantage, leaping and whirling through the massive amounts of troopers. And inside her head, she was counting.

_179 ... 180 ... 181 ..._

No, not the number of troopers she was killing, she was not that naive. She was counting the time it took for her to get to the Emperor. To Anakin.

Because every passing second, just might be one second too late.

--

"Red-four to Home-one, I've found the power generator, sir!"

"Fire at will, Red-four."

"Will do! Red-Squadron, sending you coordinates now."

"Good work, Captain Antilles, Red-two right behind you."

"Let's end this war!"

Six rebel fighters streaked past Imperial TIE fighters, twisting and rolling away from the lines of fire. One, two, three, then four fighters were blasted away.

Captain Ozzel, aboard the bridge of the _Executor_, watched in eager anticipation as the remaining two fighters streaked toward the target.

Five shots. That's all it took to light up the most brilliant explosion the captain had ever seen. The men on the bridge cheered, proclaiming victory. Then the explosion and the smoke cleared.

The Death Star was unscathed.

_What?_ Captain Ozzel thought in shock.

"Assess damage done to Death Star," he ordered a computer technician who sat before him.

"Less than 1, sir, that "weak point" must have only been the backup fuel cells."

_Oh,_ Captain Ozzel thought blankly._ Oh, this is bad._

--

Aboard the Death Star, Tarra was slashing through another clone when the lights went out. Because one of the fighters, apparently, had bad aim, and had scored a direct hit on one of the cables and pipes leading to lighting and hydraulics systems.

It was only a matter of seconds before the backup lighting systems would light up, once again illuminating the corridors.

Tarra couldn't wait for that. She had counted already to 224, there was _no time_.

Two lightsabers winked out, and when the lights returned, the Jedi-turned-Sith-turned-Jedi was nowhere to be found.

--

The Emperor, standing in front of a window, laughed as the Rebel forces were in disarray. "The Rebellion has been crushed," he drawled in glee.

Beside him, Anakin – or rather, Darth Vader, stood, hunched at the shoulders. "Master ..."

The Emperor turned, kindness etched on his old, withered, evil face. "What is it, Anakin. What do you need? What do you _want_?"

"Master ... promise me ... when Tarra comes in ... don't kill her. _Please_."

The Emperor sighed. "We've been through this before, Anakin. She is a _Jedi_. She _has to be killed_ or she will be the destruction of the Empire!"

Anakin's feet took him to a chair. He did not remember sitting down. His mind was whirling, locked in a struggle against himself.

He was losing.

"What ... can _two_ Jedi do?"

"At the moment, nothing. But when someone more powerful ... comes to existence ... if the Jedi find that person ... the Sith would perish."

"But there are _two Jedi_ ... and two Sith! If we get our apprentices ..." Anakin pleaded for the lives of the two people he knew, that if they died, would tear him apart.

"Actually, that's not entirely true," Palpatine said. "Come, follow me, I have something to show you. And the two Sith Lords walked to the display board. The Emperor punched a few numbers into a keyboard, then settled down to watch.

It was a hatchery.

Of Sith. Sith _babies_. Children who grew up as evil, demonic clones, genetically enhanced to become stronger, faster, _better_.

"Completely obedient, Anakin. To _you_."

"Me?"

"Yes, Anakin ... it is my gift to you. Just think ... of the _power_ you will have. You are far younger, and more powerful than I am ... you are the man most suited to ruling ... the galaxy.

"I ... I don't know what to say."

The Emperor's eye twinkled. "Thank you, master, would do."

Anakin bowed. "Thank you, my master." It was a generous gift, after all. And in a few months, the galaxy would be his.

Sidious would be taken out of the picture.

Once Padme came back.

--

Tarra's lightsaber sliced through the locked door, she kicked it open.

The sudden brightness of the Emperor's quarters nearly blinded her. Not that it was particularly bright, but in comparison to the pitch black shafts from where she came from, it was nearly blinding. She squinted, her eyes adjusting to the light.

Then she saw Anakin bow to the Emperor. "Thank you, my master."

_What?_

"You ..." Tarra burst out. "TRAITOR!"

Anakin looked at her with a mixture of shock and surprise. Tarra saw, then, the pain reflected in his eyes. Anakin turned to the Emperor. "Promise me ... promise me you won't –"

"She is a Jedi, Lord Vader ... she _must _die."

The yellow in Anakin's eyes, previously so dark following the generous offer of the Sith Army, flickered towards blue.

The three stood in that position, Anakin glaring at Emperor Palpatine, Palpatine gazing at Tarra, and Tarra looking at Anakin, for a long time.

--

Four arms whirled so fast Obi-Wan could barely see them, but the Force guided his motions, made sure every movement, every flick of the wrist was effective.

The General didn't care. He didn't care that Obi-Wan was holding his ground, he didn't care that there didn't seem to be any way he could win. After all, he had faced Obi-Wan twice before, and had come out the loser both times. He didn't care that Obi-Wan had the power of the Force behind his parries, and he, General Grievous, only had the strength of his durasteel arms.

One of the General's hands clattered onto the ground. _Make that limb count eight_, he thought. He stared momentarily at the burnt stump of metal the remained, then charged forward once again, lightsabers whirling.

Obi-Wan slashed out to the right, spun in a full circle, reversed his grip as he did so, and slashed again.

Half a lightsaber clattered onto the floor. General Grievous looked at his right mechanical hand, holding a smoking, useless lightsaber hilt. Yellow eyes narrowed, and once more the bio-droid attacked.

Obi-Wan gave ground. That was his way. That was how he did battle. He backed into the shield generator room. The main controls had been destroyed, and were now crackling with excess electric energy.

Obi-Wan continued to give ground, and was now struggling, locked with the General, chest to chest, blade to blades.

Springing back, Grievous raced forward, swinging wildly. Obi-Wan stepped nimbly to the side, and watched as General Grievous plunged headfirst into the control panel. Whipping out his blade, Obi-Wan sliced the bio-droid in half, at the hip, and the head, torso, and arms of the General hit the control panel. The durasteel arms were a superconductor, and as electricity surged through his body, General Grievous' final thought was that he would finally rejoin his alien family in death. Then his brain was fried by high-voltage electricity.

Obi-Wan watched sadly at the spectacle, then turned and walked out the room. The Force led him to break into a run, enhancing his strides, and turning his last stride into a flying leap just as the entire shield generator control room exploded.

The Jedi Master didn't even stop to look.

The darkness he felt was overpowering.

--

In the Death Star, the Emperor was eyeing Tarra Havanis with a curious look. "So," he said simply, "choose. Join me ... or die."

Darth Vader shuddered at the last word.

Tarra glanced at him, and her uncertainty cost her.

Bolts of lightning streak towards the Jedi Knight, running up her arms, gliding across her chest, streaking into her heart. Both her and Vader's teeth were so tightly gritted that the two made mashing sounds.

"Master –" Vader started, but the Emperor was speaking.

"Fool, only now do you truly realize _my power_!"

"Anakin ..." Tarra said, groaning. "Anakin ... please ... help me!"

Vader had to consciously remember Padme. His head was spinning, and if he didn't think of his beloved he would probably turn against the Emperor _right now _and – _Padme, Padme, Padme._

"Anakin ..." Tarra said. Her bones were beginning to illuminate through her flesh, through her clothes.

Vader looked sadly at Tarra, then turned to the Emperor, then back at the struggling human writhing on the ground.

"Anakin, _please_! Anakin _I love you_!" Tarra screamed in pain.

"What!" The emperor voiced what Vader was thinking.

_She loves me ... why?_ Vader thought blankly. A red lightsaber erupted in his mechanical hand.

"She's trying to manipulate you, Vader!" the Emperor shrieked. "She wants you to save her so she can destroy the Sith!"

"No ..." Vader said softly. "No ... she's not lying. I would feel it if she was."

Beside him, Tarra had succumbed to the barrage of lightning, and lay still.

_No. _Anakin thought. _No ... I won't lose another one who loves me. My mother needed me. I failed her. Padme needed me. I failed her too. I won't fail this time. Never_.

"Vader, I need your help to restore peace and justice to the galaxy!"

"You _LIAR!_" Anakin screamed. "All of your tales. Everything you've said. LIES! ALL OF THEM!" he bellowed.

"Vader, _control yourself!" _The lightning increased its intensity.

"Nooo!" Anakin yelled, raising his lightsaber, preparing to strike down the evil Sith Lord, once and for all.

A flame-colored blade ignited from the Sith Lord's hand, blocking Anakin's attack. The two Sith Lords, one former, one present, leapt back. Tarra lay on the ground, the lightning barrage over, unconscious. "Vader, STOP! Think of Padme! Vader, you are my _apprentice!_"

And Anakin did think of Padme. Looking down, _Padme,_ he thought. _Padme, I'm so sorry._

When his eyes lifted, it was burning. Burning a cool flame the color of the sky. From those blue orbs, accusations of hatred, manipulation, and evil spewed towards the Emperor. For the first time in his life, Darth Sidious felt fear. Standing before him was a figure emanating power, pain, and sorrow at the same time. Standing before him was the Chosen One.

"My name," the Chosen One said, "is Anakin Skywalker. And I am a person."

--

A/N: Well, so Anakin goes back against Sidious again. Funny how unstable he is, isn't it? Like Yoda said before he died, Anakin can still go both ways. He keeps teetering at the edge, and that's what makes him very dangerous. He's so unpredictable, but I think, with this new discovery, he's on the side he's on, for good. Partially just because I can't think of a way Sidious can entice him _back_ to the Dark Side. Keep reviewing guys!


	18. Death Throes

REVIEWS! W00T! Well I'll take time off my .. um .. _busy_ schedule to respond to them. Yeah ... busy ... that explains why I'm writing a fanfic ... anyway.

**Darth mojo the Spork – **Anakin's instability allows the story to take a lot of twists and turns. I find it useful when writing about him. That's his problem, I think (well, before he got burned up in ROTS) He has so much power but he doesn't really know where his loyalties lie. I like the last line too.

**Anwinn** – Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Hieiko** – Heh, I was feeling bad for Anakin as well. I like the last line too .

--

Chapter 18

--

Artoo-Detoo was lost. He was looking for a friend, and he wasn't finding him. Sifting through heaps of scrap metal and other junk, he was searching for See-Threepio.

He hoped he would make it back to the ship soon. Anakin wouldn't be too happy that the little astrodroid just _ditched_ the ship.

He tootled as he rolled into the adjacent room. Even after downloading the schematics, navigating the huge Death Star was a challenging feat. Especially since C-3PO could be _anywhere_.

As he moved out of the room empty-handed, he suddenly saw a white-clad man rushing up at him.

Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't even glance at him as he ran past.

--

Obi-Wan felt the rise, the surge of hatred in the Emperor's throne room. The power was incredible, but it wasn't what frightened the Jedi Master. What frightened him was the fact that it was _Anakin_ who was emitting such fury. His former padawan was angry. At ...

And then Obi-Wan felt another dark power, slowly, almost _reluctantly_, draw it's power from the Force. And at the moment he hurtled through a sliced-open door and moved into the room.

And saw two men, both with right hands spitting flame-colored lightsabers. He noticed Tarra lying on the ground, then looked up. Anakin looked at him, his eyes widening in surprise ... was that relief he sensed?

The cloaked Sith Lord Sidious took advantage of Anakin's momentary distraction, leaping forward, roaring and springing his hands forward, sending a jolt of lethal electricity arcing towards his former apprentice.

Anakin groaned, though he managed to stay upright. His eyes were shut tightly, and his lightsaber clattered onto the floor.

"Obi- ... Obi-Wan ..." said a voice. The Jedi Master didn't even hear it. He was transfixed on the scene before him. His friend, his enemy. A brother ... a sith.

"Obi-Wan ..." said the voice again. The Jedi Master looked down, looking upon the prone form of Tarra Havanis, her body broken and injured by the Sith lightning. "Obi-Wan ... Anakin's ... on our side ... now ... there is good in him ... help ... kill ..." and then the Jedi Knight fell silent. Obi-Wan felt for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Obi-Wan straightened up.

A blue lightsaber was called from his belt to his grasp. Igniting it, he raced forward, prepared to meet the Emperor in the final duel of the fates.

For peace.

For justice.

For _democracy_.

--

"Artoo!" A voice spoke in surprise. The little astrodroid stopped in his tracks, swiveled his domed head, then rolled forward to a droid who, in pieces, had its paint chipped off, and now resembled partially like the old C-3PO that R2-D2 had come to know and love.

-WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?- the droid beeped.

"What happened to _your _face?" Apparently Anakin's programming, although aborted, had affected the droid, who was obviously no longer as polite as it used to be.

-I DON'T HAVE A FACE- Artoo tootled, and the half golden, half Imperial-trooper droid fell silent.

And the astrodroid set to work getting the former protocol droid out of the junk he was in.

--

Anakin stumbled as the electricity stopped pouring from the Emperor's pasty white hands. Obi-Wan hurtled himself at the Sith Lord, bodily slamming him into the ground. The Emperor moved quickly, though, and, rolling, flung Obi-Wan off of him, and, reaching through his dark Force powers, leapt to the second level of his quarters

Anakin grabbed his lightsaber, ignited it, and prepared to follow the Sith Master, but his eyes locked on with the eyes of Obi-Wan. The two exchanged a silent moment, then Anakin opened his mouth to speak.

"No time, Anakin," said Obi-Wan, cutting Anakin off before he could say anything. The Jedi Master then crouched low, and launched himself after Darth Sidious.

Anakin shook his head. Obi-Wan was right, there was no time. If he could destroy the Emperor, destroy the one who had destroyed him, then perhaps some of his crimes would be negated.

He crouched low. _Padme... this is my parting gift to you._

And then the Chosen One followed his two former masters.

--

Han Solo was having fun. "Home-One, this is Blue-Five, located target cruiser, dead ahead, focus fire,"

"Fire at will, Blue Squadron."

Han aimed directly above the fuel cells, and watched as his blast, along with the shots of 6 other fighters, slammed into the hull of the Imperial cruiser. The ship bucked from the impact, and spun out of control.

Right into the Death Star.

--

For the first time during the battle, the Death Star rocked.

For the first time, the Emperor had a sudden _bad feeling_ about this. Not about his plan. No, nothing like that anymore. He had a bad feeling about his _head_.

Gripping his lightsaber tightly, the Sith Lord fought off the two warriors before him. One, he knew all too well. Anakin Skywalker, the force of destruction, the impenetrable whirl of red light.

As for Kenobi ... Sidious was puzzled. Obi-Wan Kenobi was the prototypical Jedi. Always disciplined, regardless of the battle, regardless of who he was battling. Sidious glanced at the whirlwind of blue energy to his left. There was no Jedi restraint here. Obi-Wan Kenobi was breaking loose.

And Sidious was beginning to tire; the two warriors in front of him showed no signs of fatigue. If they ever did. The Sith Lord parried one of Anakin's slashes, then leapt far and wide, away from the battle. Waving his hand toward the floor, he called upon the Force to activate the sentry guns located there.

The guns opened fire on the Skywalker and Kenobi. The next second, they weren't. Sidious was astonished. _Nobody_ could take care of those so quickly. Yet before him stood Kenobi and Skywalker, completely unscathed and still with their blue and red blades, respectively, out.

But the Emperor knew that the Jedi had lost the edge. Kenobi's anger, his hatred was spent. The Emperor smirked; Kenobi would make a horrible Sith. Such short-lived anger. Jedi let go of attachments, of feelings, too quickly to be capable in battle.

--

"Governor, the Death Star is rotating out of orbit, sir."

Governor Tarkin stood on Level G of the Death Star. "What? I thought you said it was impenetrable!"

"It is, sir. Or rather, _was_."

The cowardly governor sighed. This was now the Emperor's problem. He didn't have the guns, nor did he have the guts, to handle this new problem.

"Prepare my shuttle."

Not two seconds later, blaster fire streaked towards the governor and his aide, leaving them both with holes through their heads.

"Oh, my! Artoo! We did it!" C-3PO looked at his golden-white arms, looking as if he was flexing them, gloating in victory.

R2-D2 didn't even pause. Tootling, he rolled right past the dead governor, toward the hangar bay.

C-3PO looked at his arms, and his blaster, again, then back at Artoo.

"Artoo-Detoo! Wait for me!"

--

A flying Sai attack knocked the Emperor down the ground, but he quickly rolled around, bringing his blade up and over, meeting Anakin in his ensuing attack. Sith blade met Sith blade in a flaming clash of scarlet.

"It's over, my _"master"_. The Sith will never rule the galaxy again."

"It is you who is finished," the Sith Lord hissed.

"You won't beat me!" Anakin roared.

The Emperor would have retorted with a "oh yes I can" line, but something in the Force called out to him, and he whipped around, catching Obi-Wan's blade just before it connected with his flesh. The Sith Lord scowled as Obi-Wan's balanced Soresu form allowed him to block every one of his attacks without retreating an inch. Palpatine had no time, any moment, Skywalker would be upon him. He reached through the Force, and, sending a burst of power at Obi-Wan, held him in the air with the force for a second, then hurled him against a wall, watching in glee as the Jedi Master hit with a loud smacking sound, then fell to the ground, a trickle of blood running down his forehead.

But Palpatine had no time to enjoy his small victory, because the Force hissed another warning to him, and he whirled again, raising his blade just as Anakin brought his Sith saber in a graceful, downward swoop, but in doing so, he lost control of his own blade in his haste to protect himself, as it slipped from his fingers. Anakin's recovery from his swing sliced the saber hilt neatly in half.

The red light sputtered then went out.

The victory in Anakin's eyes was undeniable.

His blade went up. And at that moment, the Sith Lord focused every ounce of power, every fiber of his being into _removing that blade_. Calling upon the farthest depths of his dark energy, Palpatine sent a jolt of Sith lightning towards the young warrior.

Anakin's red blade stopped its decent, retreating to block the blast.

One second later, the saber was a smoking scrap of metal, on the ground.

"Wha—" Anakin watched, aghast, at his smoldering lightsaber, which, only a few moments ago, was functioning and in his grip. _I won't fail you ... Padme, I can't fail you._

The Emperor laughed. For the first time during this battle, he sensed Anakin Skywalker's fear once more. The boy's attachment to Padme Amidala would be his undoing. Lifting both hands, the Emperor was about to send a fatal voltage of Sith lightning into the young former Sith—

But in a flash of blue, his right arm was reduced to a smoldering stump. Growling and whipping around, the Sith Lord gathered all the dark power that was his, fed it with his pain, and the sickening smell of his own burnt flesh and bone, and sent the Jedi Master who had so covertly attacked him sprawled on the ground, his body aching in pain.

Behind him, Anakin Skywalker was on his feet, a blue lightsaber glowing at his side. With a roar, the young man sprang forward, his blade angled for the kill.

Until he was lifted into the air via the Force, and sent hurtling down from the second level. Darth Sidious cackled, then, slowly and reverently, pulled his uninjured hand into his robes, drawing out another sith lightsaber. His hidden blade, kept exactly for this purpose. Then he walked to the balcany.

"Come, Lord Vader ... you cannot defeat me. Join me once again, and we can together ... save Padme."

Anakin Skywalker had clambered to his feet. Limping a little, he strode closer to Palpatine, who stood above him on the second level of the emperor's throne room. He glanced off to the side, at Tarra, who lay, still unconscious.

Seeing Tarra's crumpled form seemed to invigorate Anakin's fury. "Your tricks will no longer work on me, Sidious. You've failed. I will not become a Sith Lord!"

Sidious' eyes burned. "Very well ... Jedi ... you will die." With that he ignited his flame-colored lightsaber. "Come, _Jedi_ ... come put me out of my misery."

Anakin crouched, poised for the leap. He knew very well he shouldn't just jump; the last time he tried doing that he got three of his limbs sliced off and got his body burnt to a crisp. No, not a chance of that this time. This time, Anakin decided, he would attack.

He pushed off the ground, gathering the Force around him, feeding from its power, using it and pushing it through his body, into his lightsaber.

Spinning in a spiral at an unbelievable speed, Anakin's spinning form drilled right through the durasteel floor of the second level, forcing Sidious to make a quick leap backwards to avoid being ripped to shreds.

The Emperor took awhile to regard his surroundings. Behind him, Obi-Wan Kenobi had struggled to his feet, his blue lightsaber ignited.

Before him stood the Chosen One, his black cape and robes left behind on the first level, but he was certainly all there, in one piece. Sidious cackled inwardly. Wouldn't it be nice if he had just killed himself on the way up here?

But there was no time for games. He had to kill. He _had _to. Sidious hated having no choice on the matter. He was always in control, always having a backup plan to his backup plan.

And he didn't like it when his first backup plan involved himself doing battle with two able fighters with one arm.

That was as far that he could go, mentally, because the Force hissed a warning to him, as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker moved simultaneously, their strides quickened by the speed of the Force, towards the Sith Lord.

--

Sith Lightning was one of Darth Sidious' favorite dark powers, but it certainly wasn't his only one. Like all Jedi and Sith, he was able to produce powerful shockwaves using the Force. Like all Jedi and Sith, he could temporarily heal himself of flesh wounds, stopping blood flow.

But there was one trick that Jedi never learned. Nobody knew it, but the dead Darth Plagueis and himself. Darth Plagueis had developed what he called the 'Force Shield', which would repel any living being that touched the invisible wall.

Sidious took it one step further.

Raising his hand, dropping his lightsaber as he did so, he focused his dark energy into a single point, watching as the lightning that erupted from his fingertips surrounded him in a protective shield.

Both Obi-Wan and Anakin stopped their advance, watching in amazement at the new power that Sidious had obviously perfected. Raising their lightsabers, they prepared for the worst.

It wasn't enough.

With a burst of sheer Dark power, Darth Sidious released a huge energy shockwave in the form of electricity, arcing it in a 360 degree area attack. Obi-Wan backpedaled, but was hit anyway, shocked mercilessly by the hideous lightning and being thrown backwards a good ten feet.

Anakin managed to catch one arc with his lightsaber, but the next arc caught him in the stomach and coursed through his body, sending him flying backwards as well.

The blast was so powerful it ripped through walls and the glass windows, ripping it apart and allowing the gases inside the Death Star to seep through the shattered windows, causing a wild wind.

Sidious cackled as his strike came to an end. Turning towards Obi-Wan, he called his lightsaber to his hand.

He never got to ignite it.

Before he took one menacing step towards the fallen Jedi Master, his chest ripped open in pain. His heart burned. He looked down.

A foot of blue plasma protruded from his chest.

"It doesn't ... hurt ..."

--

Anakin Skywalker watched in horror as lightning arced towards him. Raising his lightsaber defensively, he managed to stop one blast, but another one caught him, and he was sent reeling, stumbling as he was thrown backwards. The wind howled

At the last second his mind cleared, his fury mounted, and he threw his blade with all his might just as Sidious turned away from him, turning his evil gaze upon Obi-Wan.

The lightsaber embedded itself in Sidious' chest.

"It doesn't ... hurt ..." the Sith Lord gasped, as he turned to face Anakin, the blue blade still embedded in his flesh.

Anakin stood slowly, watching the nearly-dead Sith Lord.

"_If Darth Plagueis could bring someone from the dead back to life, then prolonging the life of someone already alive is simple, isn't it?"_ the memory of Sidious' claims surfaced in his mind. And then he realized it.

He realized that everything Sidious had told him to fall to darkness in the first place, before Padme died, was true. All true. Sidious never lied to him. _Palpatine_ never lied to him.

And even as he realized this, he found, with a pang of regret, that he had to kill the man who stood, struggling to hang on to life, already extinguished the lightsaber, which clattered onto the ground.

As his eyes locked locked with the eyes of Darth Sidious, he realized that what the Emperor had said was true. He _could_ save himself from death. Even now. Fighting against the shrieking wind, Anakin Skywalker focused.

--

Palpatine didn't even wince. It didn't hurt. There wasn't enough left of his soul to register the pain of his heart.

For the first time in his life, Palpatine was fighting for his life. Using the Force, he removed the lightsaber from his chest, mended his wounds. Slowly, his vision became more clear. Things changed colors, from a deep red to only a light pink. He was glad, for the first time, that he had never told Anakin that he _really could_ heal himself, that he could save himself from imminent death.

And when he looked into Anakin's eyes, he saw them as red. His hands were pointed up, as if he was carrying something.

_Carrying something?_ Palpatine's mind, already preoccupied with trying to save _himself_, had to wonder. He looked behind him. Obi-Wan's arms were outstretched as well, towards the sky.

His heart began to beat light, flimsly flutters. Palpatine looked up hazily.

He never saw what hit him.

A giant durasteel plate, dislodged from Palpatine's previous blast of fury, had hovered in the air directly over Palpatine. Then it fell like a stone, pushed faster by the Force grasps of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan's combined might.

It squashed Darth Sidious like a bug.

And it was over.

--

Obi-Wan surveyed the debris that resulted from the huge crash.

"That went rather well," he remarked. Anakin nodded.

"A death and a burial at the same time." Numbly, possibly amazed by what they had just done, what they had just achieved, the two Jedi leapt off the second level of the dead Emperor's throne.

Just as it crumbled and fell behind them.

--

Tarra blinked. Something massive had jolted her from her unconscious state. Some huge explosion. She looked up, and saw two black boots, followed by two brown ones. She was hauled upwards through the Force, and she felt Anakin's hard mechanical hands at her shoulders.

She began to cry, tears of happiness and relief, tears showing Anakin how much she had worried about him. Even while unconscious.

Anakin smiled at her. "Shh," he said softly, "it's alright. We're fine, you're okay now ..." And the two fell in a loving embrace.

--

Anakin felt a light tap at his shoulder. Releasing his grip on Tarra, he turned, grinning widely for the first time since a long time, and found himself looking at a lightsaber hilt.

"I retrieved it from Sidious right before we ... uh ... impaled him," Obi-Wan said.

"Thanks," Anakin said.

"A lightsaber is a Jedi's _life_. You must take care of it!" Obi-Wan said with a chuckle.

Anakin reached for it, but Obi-Wan pulled it back. "It is your responsibility to keep it with you at all times."

"I've heard this before, Obi-Wan," Anakin said, laughing, "how many times do you have to tell me this?"

"At least once more, Anakin," said the Jedi Master, as he handed Anakin's lightsaber back. "As always."

--

A/N: END CHAPTER 18! Seemed a fitting way to see Sidious go, don't you agree? Don't worry, the story isn't over yet, but it probably will be soon. I'm almost sad to see it ending. Keep reviewing!


	19. Let Go

Chapter 19

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys. SATs and PSATs for the past two weekends have really slowed down progress.

--

Artoo Detoo let out a mechanical whine and a tootle, as he accessed the Death Star's computer panels with his screw jack. If he could just shut down the main power source of the battle station, the deadly guns of the Death Star would fallen silent.

"I do hope you know what you are doing," See-Threepio said, looking around distressedly, watching out for Imperial storm troopers.

--

The three Jedi hobbled out of the Emperor's throne room, the wind howling behind them. As they staggered down the hallways, they reached through the Force, together, brining energy and power back into their step, feeling the surge of Force power flowing through their bodies.

Then the lights went out.

--

The great cannons of the Death Star fell silent.

"Home One, this is Red Leader, the Death Star has dropped all power: repeat, the Death Star has –"

"I heard you, Red Leader. Engage immediately."

"Yes, sir."

Delta-7's, the new X-Wings, and TIE Fighters, both Imperial and Rebel, streaked towards the huge battle station. Plasma leaked out of several ships – the battle had taken its toll on both sides of the conflict.

The Death Star had no real weakness. But if it was damaged enough ...

Han Solo noticed Red Squadron streaking to meet the Death Star. Turning his _Millenium Falcon_ towards the space station, he fired up his engines and joined the thick of the fight.

--

As the fighting intensified, blaster cannon fire blasted into the Death Star. Ships slammed into it, exploding in a shower of fire and debris.

Inside the Death Star, three Jedi were running through the corridors.

--

Anakin was about to step through a door when the entire battle station flipped, rolling onto its side, Standing uncertainly on a wall, he asked, "Everyone alright?"

Tarra replied cheerfully, "Yes, I had a soft landing."

Obi-Wan could only grunt. His vision was obstructed with what looked like a human behind.

Tarra jumped at the sound, leaping off her "soft landing," blushed, and exclaimed, "Sorry, Obi-Wan."

So it had been a human butt, after all. Obi-Wan could only shrug, clambering to his feet. Anakin could barely stifle a laugh. "Obi-Wan you need to lose weight. You're considered a big soft pillow, now."

Obi-Wan smiled in spite of himself. It was a particularly awkward, embarrassing moment, but it was all worth it. The Emperor was dead, and Anakin was back with the Light. Where he belonged.

"What's going on?" Tarra asked.

Anakin turned. "The power has been shut down, obviously. And apparently ..." his sentence was cut off with a deafening explosion, as a canister tumbled from what was the ceiling onto what was now the left wall.

"Apparently we've been hit. A lot."

Obi-Wan nodded grimly. "Let's keep moving before this whole thing blows apart."

Anakin began to walk to the doorway. "Yes. That huge explosion earlier must have damaged the battle station at least a little. If we can make it to the escape pods ..."

Obi-Wan nodded. "That'll be the plan, then. Tarra, you lead the way."

"_What?_ Why me?" Tarra exclaimed.

"Because you were the most recent Sith apprentice, obviously," Obi-Wan said, smiling. Tarra glowered.

"Hey," Anakin said, "We had to do all the fighting earlier. Now it's your turn."

His timing was impeccable. Before he even said "now", a line of Storm troopers marched down a corridor, turning on them and firing as they recognized the three Jedi as a threat.

Tarra rolled her eyes, then ignited her twin lightsabers. Two blue flashes of light erupted from Obi-Wan's and Anakin's hands.

The line of storm troopers were a pile of corpses in a few short seconds.

Those troopers were, however, the least of their worries. Anakin bent down at the Clone commander's hand, noticing a comlink that had initiated an emergency response. In a few short moments, the three Jedi would find the Death Star a lot more crowded – and a lot less friendly.

--

There they were, walking, swinging their lightsabers in precise, pre-arranged movements. Little boys aged between eight and sixteen, slashing in patterns so quickly that none but the trained eye would be able to find weakness with them.

They were clones.

And they were of the Sith.

Palpatine had put together the traits of the best Sith he had ever known, packaged them in the minds and bodies of these clones. It was his last act, the only act he had ever made to destroy the Sith Order.

For the Sith are only two. A master and an apprentice. Now there were hundreds of apprentices, and no master. Untrained in the arts of deceit and cunning, these apprentices left their housing units, rushed out from their hatcheries, into the corridors of the Death Star.

For they were the most powerful response to the emergency signals.

With hundreds of them, they were invincible.

--

"Gosh it's quiet in here," Tarra said.

"Don't say anything, you'll jinx us," Obi-Wan remarked jokingly.

"Too late," Anakin said darkly.

The emergency lights and security systems kicked in, as the backup power generators hummed to life. The lights were dim but things were once again visible. The three Jedi no longer had to reach through the Force to know where they were going.

Unfortunately, neither did the Sith.

A hundred red, gleaming lightsabers ignited in the room that the 3 Jedi were now in.

"Oh Sith ..." Anakin breathed. These were the clones that Palpatine had shown him. His blue lightsaber was called to his grasp, and he lighted it, glaring at the sith clones. Those clones were genetically enhanced, specifically altered to obey... _him_. Anakin's eyes widened.

"I command you to shut down your lightsabers!" he called, waiting for them to obediently obey his order.

"We are no longer under your jurisdiction," said one clone.

"If we ever were," another added.

Anakin sighed. So much for that idea. Obi-Wan's lightsaber ignited beside him. "I don't want to have to destroy you all," the Jedi Master called out to the Sith.

"Destroy _us_? We're going to destroy _you._"

At that exact moment, a thunderous explosion rocked the Death Star. The clones stumbled, and Anakin and Obi-Wan tore through them. Tarra ignited her lightsabers, then leapt forward, following the two Jedi in their path of destruction.

The clone Sith were young, and weak in the ways of the Force. They were no match for three able Jedi, and were quickly dispatched.

Another explosion rocked the Death Star, and the ceiling on which they were battling on suddenly became the floor. All the people in the room fell in a heap on the ground. Obi-Wan did a roll, coming quickly to his feet, fast enough to slice another Sith in half as he fell to the ground. Anakin landed heavily, the floor cracking beneath his artificial legs. Tarra fell on another pillow.

"You alright?" Anakin called.

"Yeah, I had another soft landing." The Sith clone on which she landed on made a rude gesture with his left hand, which she removed with a stroke of her lightsaber. "Be nice to ladies," she said, scoffing as she plunged her lightsaber into his chest. "What nerve!"

Anakin grinned slicing the head off another clone. "D'you want to start counting, Obi-Wan? Winner gets free dinner at Dex's."

Obi-Wan groaned. Not _this_ again. "Anakin, I'm not going to –"

"Let's go!" Tarra said cheerfully. "Score's fifteen to one, my favor."

"_What?"_

"Hey, I'm a girl, we have to make things fair here." Anakin growled, but didn't say anything until he dispatched five Sith clones in quick succession. "Fifteen to six." And so the count went on, until all the Sith clones in the room were dead or groaning, without legs or arms.

"Seventy-six to fifty-nine, I win," Anakin said, wiping beads of sweat from his brow.

"Alright, alright, I owe you dinner ..."

Another explosion.

"... at Dex's. And afterwards ..."

"Can we get out of here _first_ ... before discussing what we're going to do _afterwards?_" Obi-Wan said, his lightsaber stabbing through a stubborn torso of a Sith who had relentlessly crawled towards him with one arm and one leg.

The three Jedi made their way out of the room, out to the corridors outside.

"So which way is the – oof!" Obi-Wan's sentence was cut short as he was knocked off his feet, hitting the railing of the corridor and falling over, into the abyss.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin yelled, and his lightsaber was out in an instant. For the first time, his eyes focused on a Clone Assassin. Ultra fast clones that could dodge even the swiftest of attacks. Reaching through the Force, Anakin let his fury build, then lashed out with his lightsaber. His Dark powers would forever be a part of his combat style. The assassin's blades flicked in and out of his Force vision, and he more than once had to desperately leap backwards to escape a deadly knife through his chest.

"Anakin, they're all over me!" Tarra screamed. Anakin cursed. Well, if he couldn't slice the bastard in half, he'll just have to ...

Reaching through the Force, Anakin's hand found the Assassin's neck, and through the Force, crushed the windpipe with a forceful grasp of his mechanical hand. The clone dropped to the ground, twitching.

Anakin turned, to see Tarra's forearm sliced by one of the clones' blades. "Noooo!" He yelled, racing forward, swiping his lightsaber in vain, trying to hold off the clone assassins. Curse Sidious and his clone modifications. In exasperation, Anakin reached through the Force, picked up the already dead clone assassin behind him, and flung him at the other clones. All three or four of them – Anakin couldn't tell, it was all a blur to him, stumbled, and Anakin took advantage of this, sending a massive Force shove, knocking the assassins over the railing and out of sight.

Anakin rushed back to Tarra. She was bleeding. Badly. Anakin cursed, placed his hands on her wounds, and with all his focus, began to mend Tarra's wound, atom by atom, cell by cell.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said.

--

Many stories below, Obi-Wan Kenobi said the same thing. He looked over at the curved wall. Thank goodness that was there, really, he could have really broken something.

Electricity crackled around him.

_What?_

And then it hit him. He was in the heart of the Death Star. The entire power core was in this very room that he himself was in. All the power couplings. All the central command. The _Empire_ was in his very grasp. He could _shut down ..._ but no ... the Force whispered a clue to him, and Obi-Wan realized what he had to do.

He drew his lightsaber.

--

Anakin felt a wrinkle in the Force, felt Obi-Wan's Force signature. He felt Obi-Wan questioning the Force, and he felt the Force giving the Jedi Master an answer.

_No_... Anakin gasped inwardly. "No! No I _won't _let you do this!" He shouted. Tarra mumbled something incoherent, but was now gingerly clenching her fists. Her wound had stopped bleeding, and scar tissue was beginning to form, but she was still weak, having lost quite a bit of blood.

"_Obi-Wan, don't do this!"_ Anakin screamed through the Force.

"_I will do what I must_."

His heartbeat rushed faster than it had ever rushed during his fight with Palpatine. Anakin couldn't accept this. _"No!"_

"_Go, Anakin. Take Tarra with you, go back to the ship."_

"_I _won't_ let you do this!"_

"_I'll tell Padme you said hello."_

Anakin was stunned. Obi-Wan, his master, his mentor, his _friend_ was really going to go through with this.

"_I've lost Padme! I've lost my Mom, I've lost the Jedi! I've lost everything I've ever been with! Not you too! I won't let you! _Iwon't!" The last words Anakin had bellowed into the empty room. His pain was unendurable._ Please_, he whispered, _Please, not Obi-Wan_.

"_I'm sorry, Anakin. I failed you too many times."_

Anakin tried to speak, he tried to will through the Force to do _something_, but his body and his mind weren't cooperating. The shock of what Obi-Wan was about to do surged through him. He tried to say that no, _he_ was the one who failed his master, but nothing ever came out of his lips.

"_Goodbye, Anakin. Run. Hurry_."

--

Obi-Wan didn't bother to wait for an answer. His face streaked with tears, he raised his lightsaber.

He couldn't bring it down. He couldn't leave Anakin like this, not alone. Not his friend.

But it was the only course of action possible. The Force had led him here, and the Force told him to end it, right here, right now. So he did the one thing all Jedi did.

He let go.

Of everything. Of his friendship with Anakin. Of the Jedi. Of the Rebellion. Of the Empire. Obi-Wan Kenobi let go of everything that was ever dear to him.

Obi-Wan let go of his lightsaber.

It sank into an explosive power generator with a hiss and a spark.

In a few, short seconds, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master, mentor to the Chosen One, and best friend of Anakin Skywalker, was no more.

--

A/N: Sorry for the late post! Keep reviewing guys, I'm dead tired.


	20. Victory and Union

Chapter 20

--

A flash of light. A sharp pain in Anakin's consciousness. The Force rippled. It was true. All of it was true. Obi-Wan Kenobi was gone, and Anakin was left alone. And everything was dark. There was no light at all, in the room, in his heart.

"NO!" He screamed again. Everything Anakin had ever worked for, had ever believed in, had backfired against him. Nothing was left. Nothing at all.

Except ...

Tarra put a hand on Anakin's shaking shoulder. Anakin turned to her, his eyes red and puffy. At that moment he did not look like the Chosen One at all. He looked like a man lost, and already dead.

Anakin buried his face into Tarra's sleek, black hair. "Don't you leave me."

"Shh," Tarra whispered. "I'm not going anywhere." Tears were running down her cheek as well.

--

The tender moment was torn apart with a rumble.

A very _loud_ rumble.

"What the ..." Anakin said incredulously.

"Obi-Wan must have –" Tarra began, but before the sentence was completely a shimmering, green glow appeared before the two Jedi. "Go, Anakin. Get away, the Death Star is out of control ... go, quickly!"

Tarra gasped, "How ..."

Anakin walked towards Obi-Wan's ghostly form. "I'm sorry," he called out, but the luminescent glow had already faded. Then he turned, the rumbling growing louder. "C'mon. Obi-Wan died to save our lives. _Our lives_. The lives of the Rebellion. He died to uphold everything _he_ held dear."

"I don't want to join him just yet," he finished, smiling weakly at Tarra's shining face.

Then the two started running. For their lives. For the lives of the Rebellion.

--

"What the blazes was that?" Captain Ozzel watched, incredulous, as a huge portion of the Death Star ripped apart, sailing through endless space, colliding with Imperial and Rebel fighters and cruisers.

Ozzel watched as the Death Star was engulfed in a massive chain explosion, and noted sadly that two Jedi were on the Superstar Destroyer. He hoped Master Yoda and Master Kenobi were well.

Something told him, though, that they weren't. It was a bittersweet moment for the young captain. As he watched from the bridge of the _Executor_, he realized he was witnessing the death of both the Empire, and of the Jedi.

--

Two Jedi ran for their lives. And for the time being, the Jedi Order was not completely destroyed. For another second anyway.

Fifty seconds later, the Jedi were still running, and Jedi Order still was not destroyed.

--

Artoo-Detoo rolled up the ramp to a Lambda class shuttle.

"Are you _sure_ this is the ship Master Anakin is going to use?"

-DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS?- The astrodroid tootled. C-3PO, looking flustered, muttered no, then shuffled his way up the ramp. The shuttle, of course, was the only ship in the entire hangar bay that could seat more than 2 people. R2-D2 trusted Anakin not to forget him, even in times of distress.

--

Artoo trusted the right man. Anakin would rather die himself than lose _another_ of his friends. Not this time. Not after what Obi-Wan just did. In a single blast of white hot fire, Anakin had lost his best friend, his mentor. Obi-Wan didn't have to teach him anything anymore, but he would always be Anakin's master. No matter where he was.

His mechanical hand clutched Tarra's fleshy one, half pulling, half dragging her towards the hangar bay.

"That one!" Tarra pointed at a small, light craft, enough for the both of them. Anakin shook his head.

"I'm not leaving without Artoo," he said pointedly, then moved towards the large Lambda class shuttle that had its engines already warmed up. Anakin suspected that Threepio or Artoo had fired up the engines. "That way," he said. Tarra sprinted beside him, the Force enhancing the two Jedis' strides, as they outpaced the erupting flames.

By the time Anakin and Tarra had reached the shuttle, they were downright bushed. Their Force abilities had drained, using constant Force pushes to ward the explosion and the flames from reaching them. Especially Anakin, whose fear, anger, and sadness drove him to greater heights in Force abilities. The two Jedi managed to scramble up the ramp of the ship. "Go! Now!" Tarra panted, and C-3PO closed the hatch, and launched the ship from the hangar bay of the Death Star.

The entire hangar bay erupted in flames shortly thereafter. Anakin struggled to his mechanical legs, watching solemnly as the flames consumed the one man he could trust.

"I wasn't strong enough," he whispered, blinking back tears, then giving up and letting them flow down his face. It wasn't very Jedi to cry, but there was no way in hell Anakin wasn't going to cry at this point. Salty tears slid down his cheeks. He didn't even bother to wipe the tears away.

Tarra walked next to him, watching the explosion with him, but more importantly than that, being with him. He was alone, afraid, and angry; she was his comfort, his reassurance that not everything he had was gone. His tears were wiped away at her touch.

In his heart, Anakin Skywalker burned at the loss of his old master. But as he watched the Death Star burst into a fiery inferno, he couldn't help but to smile, only a little, through his tears. One Dark era had finally come to a sudden and abrupt halt, and Anakin knew that any real Jedi would gladly give his or her own life, and would gladly sacrifice the life of another Jedi, for the betterment of the galaxy.

Well, every Jedi but one.

Anakin knew, in his charbroiled heart, that he would never give up the life of someone he loved for the greater good of the galaxy.

Obi-Wan's loyalty was to the Republic, to Democracy. Anakin's loyalty was to the people of the Republic, to the people who served Democracy.

And that makes all the difference in the galaxy.

--

"Welcome back, Master Skywalker," Captain Ozzel said curtly. "Where ... are the others? Master Yoda? What of General Kenobi?"

Anakin couldn't answer.

"Dead," Tarra said. "At least, Obi-Wan is, I don't know about –"

"Yoda's dead as well," Anakin said heavily. Nobody in the room knew that he, himself, had killed the great, diminutive Jedi Master.

It would stay that way, he decided. This was just another secret he would take to his grave.

He sighed. He had way too many secrets. "Excuse me," he said, "I'm going to return to my quarters. We have won. Let's just ... get out of here."

Tarra followed him, and Anakin was too tired, too pained to object.

--

Han watched in awe as the remnants of the Death Star floated by his ship. All ships had stopped fighting; all had stopped to watch the destruction of the great vessel.

"Home One ... this is Blue Five," Han spoke into the com, as Chewbacca growled happily beside him. "I think we just won the war."

A scoff at the other end of the com. "No, _really?_"

Han grinned, "Well, since you needed an excuse to hear my melodious voice ..."

"Shut up, Solo."

--

"_I told you he would do it," Obi-Wan said, smiling, to Master Yoda._

"_Hmmph, killed me, he did," Yoda said, his posture clearly that of a pouting child._

"_You were getting old anyway," remarked Obi-Wan, his eyes twinkling._

"_About time you two joined me," Mace Windu stepped out from the shadows, his mouth fixed in the first smile that anyone had ever seen the Jedi Master perform._

"_Oh, Force, look! Windu smiled," said Qui-Gon Jinn, laughing, while Mace Windu tried to smother his facial expression, failing miserably and resorting to covering his face with his cloak, which, of course, caused the other Jedi to laugh even more._

"_You shouldn't have let me teach you, Mace," said Qui-Gon, "You could be in the Force right now, and be exempt from all this teasing."_

"_I should have done that," Mace said, "but then I wouldn't have been able to witness the fall of the Sith."_

"_Over it is, we do not know," Master Yoda said softly._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_The Jedi must be rebuilt. If reconstructed it is not, soon the Sith will return, and meet no resistance."_

"_You're right," Mace Windu said. "But how?"_

"_Up to Skywalker, it is, to rebuild the Order."_

"_But Anakin ..."_

"_Not Anakin. Luke's destiny, it is."_

--

Luke Skywalker was a young boy, about six years of age now. He lived on a moisture farm on the planet of Tatooine, and the farthest he had ever gone from there was the one time when his Uncle Owen took him on a ride on the speeder to the local market, to buy some supplies.

So naturally, he was awed when he noticed a sleek, silver ship descend from the sky.

It was of a Nubian class, he knew by the sleek design. Just above one wing was the word "_Amidala_". The ship was the greatest thing that young Luke had ever seen in his life, but what was even more astonishing as the golden droid that shuffled down the ramp.

"Oh! You must be Luke! I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg..." the droid began, but was cut off.

"What the Tusk? How do you know my name?" Luke was frightened, but more curious.

"... relations. You see, your Father sent me..."

"My _father?_ When can I see him?"

"Ahh, well, if you would just come aboard, he is right there," said C-3PO. "And do hurry, will you? I've forgotten how much I dread coming to this planet."

"My father! What is he? Why haven't I seen him before? Why doesn't he just come down from the ship? Why did you get sent here? Is he in trouble with the Empire? What's his job? What does he do? What does he look like? What about my mother? What does she look like? How come my parents never visited me? Why do Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru come with me? Do they have a pet? I've always wanted a pet. Why—"

"Oh, my! Do slow down, will you, my processor's shot! Come, come aboard, and you will meet your father!"

"_No need."_

A voice had come from the ramp of the ship, and there stood Anakin Skywalker. "Uncle Owen never told you what happened to your father?"

"They told me he died ... in the war ..."

"No, _I_ am your father."

Luke's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Wow, really?"

"Search your feelings, Luke, you know it to be true."

A girl walked next to Anakin. "Now, Anakin, remember, he hasn't been trained as a Jedi yet, he can't control his feelings."

"Oh. Right."

But Luke knew that he was telling the truth. That the man that stood before him, Anakin, was his _father_. The one he had never met. "Is that my mom?" he asked, still wide-eyed.

Tarra laughed. "No, Luke. I'm Tarra, your father's girlfriend."

Luke scrunched up his nose. "Ewwwww!" Tarra laughed.

"C'mon, Luke, come into the ship with us. We'll take you far away to places you've never been before."

They didn't even need to ask twice. Quick as a speeder, Luke had raced up the ramp into the ship.

Anakin laughed. "Threepio's talking with your aunt and uncle right now. When he gets back, I'll show you the Capital of the universe."

"Coruscant?" Luke asked in awe. "Really? Wow!"

Tarra nudged close to Anakin. "How do you know Threepio's going to convince Luke's aunt and uncle to let him come with us?"

"Convince?" Anakin opened a pouch, which contained a small bottle with a spray on top. "A little of this Kenobi Powder will do just fine. Threepio doesn't even need to raise his voice."

--

A/N: Probably another chapter after this, and that'll be just about it. Thanks for all the reviews, again, and I'm sorry if I killed Obi-Wan. Things can't ALL go right, or the story would be too predictable!

I like how Anakin used almost the same lines Vader used in Empire Strikes Back. Seems completely different in such a different tone, don't you think?


	21. Epilogue: The Righting of Wrongs

Chapter 21

--

All over the HoloNet, video clips of the Death Star's destruction were displayed on every channel, every frequency.

Anakin flipped off the hologram display, and sighed. The new Republic was in its youthful stages, and the first election of Senators was upcoming in a few days. Bail Organa was already elected as Supreme Chancellor. Anakin had to agree it was a good choice, if only because Padme used to trust him.

A new Jedi Temple had been constructed, more powerful and more full of the Force than ever. Tarra was training the new Jedi recruits – Anakin would only pop in now and then to help the younglings with their lightsaber techniques. At Anakin's request, the Jedi Code had changed. People were allowed to love, after all. Anakin was not going to risk another Jedi falling to the Dark Side because he or she couldn't _love_.

And as his thoughts trailed to other things, other people, his burning heart fueled by its own flame, Anakin put his head in hands. Padme. The younglings. Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan. Anakin would dearly miss his old friend. Although the Jedi Master had visited him frequently, in the dark, in the same, glowing, green light he had been in the Death Star, Anakin couldn't help but think it wasn't enough. It wasn't _real_ enough.

And Padme ... Padme never visited him. She couldn't, she wasn't so finely attuned to the Force. Anakin wished she could, but it wasn't much he could do.

"_This is why Jedi release all attachments, Anakin ..."_ Obi-Wan's voice floated through the depths of his mind.

"_Have you heard the tale of Darth Plagueis the Wise?"_ Palpatine's ghostly voice overrode Obi-Wan's. _"He could stop people from dying. He could bring people back to life."_

Anakin stood up.

"_All I want you to do, Anakin, is to do what you want."_

"_What I want?"_

"Yes, Anakin, think! The Jedi are holding you back from your true greatness. You know what you really want to do, Anakin, I am telling you to go do it!"

And right now, Anakin knew what he wanted. A fire burned in his chest. He could bring them all back. He could bring back those he loved. All the younglings could be brought back. Yoda. Mace Windu. Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan. Padme.

The fire spread to his eyes, and Anakin strode to the door of his room in the new Jedi Temple.

"Anakin?" Tarra called out. "Anakin, where are you going?"

"Out," Anakin answered shortly. "Where are the younglings?"

"Meditating in their chambers," Tarra said, kissing Anakin lightly on the cheek.

"Leia's meditating? Somehow, I doubt that," Anakin said, laughing slightly, and wrapping his arms around Tarra's slim frame.

"Everything's fine now, Anakin, where could you possibly be going? I never felt any disturbance in the ..."

"I'm going to undo everything I did as a Sith. I'm going to try ... to use my powers, and to save the people I loved."

Tarra's face peered up at Anakin in their embrace. "Padme?" she whispered.

Anakin nodded. "Obi-Wan, too. And Yoda. And all the younglings."

"Anakin ... but ... how? You said Palpatine never taught you ..."

"He didn't, but I'm going to try anyway." Anakin bent down and kissed Tarra tenderly on the lips. "Goodbye, Tarra."

Tarra's eyes shone with tears. "You're leaving ... _now?_" Anakin nodded.

"Then ... I'm going with you."

Anakin looked at her sharply. "What? What about the younglings?"

"They'll be fine. Remember the old Jedi we found in Dantooine? He's training them now anyway, they don't really need me."

Anakin looked at her. "They don't?" He asked, blankly.

"No, Anakin, they don't." Tarra said, smiling.

"Then ..."

"So I'm going, right?"

"I ... guess." Anakin said, his face still blank. Then he split into a wide grin. "Yeah, great, let's go. I can't wait to tell Obi-Wan just _how much_ he owes me."

And the two Jedi-turned-Sith-turned-Jedi set off, across the halls of the Jedi Temple, seeking truth, life, death, and knowledge.

--

"Blast," Obi-Wan said. "I was just getting used to this Force Apparition thing."

_Master Qui-Gon chuckled. "The galaxy isn't that bad, my padawan."_

"_I'm not ... a padawan anymore," Obi-Wan said quietly._

"_I didn't say you were. I said you were _my_ padawan. And that, you are, and always will be."_

_Meanwhile, Yoda wasn't taking this any easier. "Bring me back? To be old again, I don't wish to be!"_

_Mace Windu spoke. "I, on the other hand, want to go back. First of all, because I want my skin to be **brown**__again, thank you very much. And I would also like to teach Skywalker a lesson." He smiled. "It will be a long day for him when I get back."_

"_When? Don't you mean, if?" asked Qui-Gon._

"_No, master," Obi-Wan said lightly. "I'm pretty sure it's **when**. We'll be back on Coruscant before we know it."_

"_I want to see that Jedi Temple with my own eyes."_

"_You will. Soon."_

_Yoda only grumbled._

--

END STORY! I hope you guys enjoyed it, it was a short chapter, but what do you expect in an ending? This ending, of course, opens the story up to a possibility of a sequel, although that one won't come out until much later. Junior year is starting to take its toll.


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